


By The Full Moon’s Light (Our Desires We Know)

by RogueTiger



Series: The Wolves of Purgatory [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alpha!Doc, Alpha!Dolls, Alpha!Nicole, Alpha!Wynonna, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angels, Bernie is a good boy, Bunny is a bitch, Drunk!Nicole, F/F, Fluffy, Gnomes, Kids, Light Angst, No Curse, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega!Waverly, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught kids, Witches, WynHaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-08-01 03:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 221,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueTiger/pseuds/RogueTiger
Summary: Continuing where 'Lone Wolf' left off.Michelle 'Mama' Earp has been returned to Purgatory and her family by Juan Carlo, bringing with her a lot of questions... Where has she been for the past eighteen years? Just who is the mysterious Juan Carlo? What does Mama know about the Gibson's and the Moon Witches and what will that mean for Waverly and the pack after a battle leaves Nicole stripped of her Wolf.Please be aware that tags, ratings and warnings are likely to change as the story progresses.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN - I have no idea how long this is going to end up... right now i've just got a point A and point Z and no idea how to link them up or where it will all go after that, lol. And as I've currently got 4 wip's I promised myself I would have finished a long time ago -_- it will be the story that screams the loudest that gets worked on... unfortunately, that's just how my crazy brain works.
> 
> Another AN - After seeing a couple of posts by this woman (god knows how I missed them in Dec but, anyway...) when I write anything for Valdez in here I will now be picturing all 5'10" of Ashley Callingbull (but with amber eyes). From her posts she would really like the part of Valdez and well, I could see it https://twitter.com/AshCallingbull 
> 
> Anyway... buckle up, Earpers!
> 
> Image made by me to act as inspiration only. I do not own the images that went into making it so please don't post it anywhere else.
> 
> For anyone not wanting to read 'Lone Wolf' I thought I'd best put up a reminder of how things work in this AU. Here's where it gets confusing... In this AU, many supernatural creatures exist and are known if not always accepted. Werewolves are born, not created by bites. Silver hurts them & can even kill as it burns them.
> 
> Wynonna is pack leader & is mated with Doc & Xavier in a poly relationship (the boys are Bi), all 3 of them are Alphas. Nicole is also a Alpha (daughter of Bulshar with heritage that links her back to the yiska and to Nedley). She is mated to Waverly who is a Omega (but that does not make her weak). Finding a mate is not something that happens for every wolf (basically they're soulmates). Through their bond mates can gain a closeness to their mate that can make them more empathic to the others needs & even give them the ability to talk through their minds.
> 
> While they go through heats & ruts, this AU doesn't have the usual A/B/O rules (no g!p) but, Nicole has retained a old wolf trait and is capable of getting Waverly pregnant. Alpha female are pretty impossible to get pregnant (but Wyn managed to). Pregnancies are shorter for wolves than humans by several months. Wolves have 3 forms, human, huge wolves that they can turn into at any time and a man beast form that is cuter than hollywood style that they can turn into at the height of the full moon (Nicole is different & can actually change into that any time too). I LOVE Laurell K. Hamilton's books & that probably leaks through a little in this in the looks of the wolves if not the lore.
> 
> Yiska (& yes, those characters are based on T100) are shapeshifters but they have 1 animal form. Lexa's (Alexandria in this) is the leader of all the clans & has decided to settle in the village in the Pine Barrens after years of negotiation peace between the clans. Her wife/mate, Clarke is a Wood Nymph (which gives her powers over the trees in general but as she was born of the Pine Barrens it is the place she feels the deepest connection to.
> 
> In 'Lone Wolf', Nicole, the lone survivor of the Bulshar pack, arrived in Purgatory, recruited by Nedley. Through the story they did battle against Bobo, the Widows, Constance, Jack, Vampires, Jolene & many others, & ultimately Bulshar himself, while forging new friendships with the Yiska & Harpies, & finding love & family.
> 
> All sounds very complicated but it was a story with 177 chapters ;)

_“Hi, do you need some help?” Nicole instinctively shifted her body, placing herself more squarely between the woman and the house as she heard the front door opening behind her._

_“Yes, I’m looking for…”_

_“Mama?”_

_Nicole swung around in shock and confusion at Wynonna’s hushed whisper and looked between her and Waverly’s shocked expressions, and the woman standing before her with hope and shame in her eyes._

_She could see it now she was closer and the sun was no longer an issue, the amalgam of features that she shared with Wynonna and Waverly… more so with Waverly. There was no doubt in her mind that standing right there before them was Michelle Earp._

_Only… where had she been for the last eighteen years?_

________________

“Mama?”

The single word, uttered with such an incredulous tone lacing her sister’s voice, echoed over and over again inside of Waverly’s mind as she looked at the woman standing near Nicole. She felt like she should be feeling something, anything, as she looked at her, the woman that had given birth to her… but all she felt was numb. Maybe not even that. Numb indicated that there had been something there before and as she looked at the woman she felt… nothing for her personally other than the shock she felt that she had supposedly turned up right then… if Wynonna was to be believed.

Not that she had any reason not to trust her sister. It was just that, when Mama had vanished from their lives, Waverly had been only four, barely even old enough to comprehend that her mother had even left. All she had known was that she wasn’t around anymore and that her dad, backed up by Willa’s determination to do anything he’d asked, had discouraged any talk of her.

Since then, every story, every memory she had of her mother was made up from memories passed to her by Aunt Gus and Wynonna. Every photograph, few and far between as they were as all but the ones Gus had or Wynonna had managed to save from being destroyed, was faded and grainy, worn by age and restless fingers. They were snippets of a past that Waverly had had no recollection of, trapped back in time, whereas this woman was in her late forties.

“Juan Carlo promised he would take me to where my girls were,” Michelle looked at the woman nearest her, sensing the reassuring strength and authority within the taller, young woman with the red hair. Unless there was someone else on the property, of the three she could see, Michelle felt that the redhead was the one the P.S.D. Sheriff’s vehicle in the drive belonged to.

She could smell the sweet and strangely reassuring scent of Alpha permeating the air in a way she hadn’t for years. A thought that confused Michelle as it had only been a matter of hours since she had last smelled the almost rancid, stale musky scent of Ward’s that he pumped out in an attempt to overcompensate for the weakness of his character and wolf… wasn’t it?

Shaking the confusion loose, Michelle rubbed tiredly at her forehead and tried to focus on what she could… her beloved children.

“Please, are they inside? Where are my babies?” she begged urgently of the Alpha before her.

Babies? Nicole frowned in confusion at the word wondering if she had simply mistaken the woman for being Michelle Earp because Wynonna had labelled her as her mother? “I’m sorry ma’am, I think you’ve got the wrong place. Let me take you to the Sheriff’s Department and we can help you out and get a Doctor to check you out.”

Nicole would have preferred to just get her to the hospital but she knew damn well that if her children were missing there was no way she would agree to do anything other than look for them.

“The Sheriff… Yes! I don’t know where my head is. You must be new in town. My husband is the Sheriff… Ward, Ward Earp. Do you know him? If you could take me to him or maybe home… the Earp Homestead… if that’s not too much trouble. Don’t know why Juan Carlo brought me here… he should have just taken me… to… the… Homestead—”

Nicole darted forward as the woman’s voice started to fade off and her body started to wobble alarmingly. As her eyes rolled back and her knees went out from under her, sending her tumbling towards the hard ground, Nicole caught her before she hit, scooping her up securely into her arms.

Even with her strength, she could feel how alarmingly light the woman in her arms was.

“Mama!”

“Waves, could you get some blankets ready on the couch for me, baby!?”

“On it!” Waverly called over her shoulder, her body already in motion to help the woman no matter who she was.

“It’s okay, I’ve got her Wynonna,” Nicole gently reassured her as she reached her side with a look of distress writ on her face and darkening her blue eyes. “Don’t know where she’s been but she’s as cold as ice,” she gritted out half to herself. Given they were in what passed for the height of summer in Purgatory she could only think that how cold she was, was due to shock. “Could you maybe help Waves and make sure the kids are okay?” _Make sure they’re safe!_ Were the words she left unspoken.

Wynonna nodded her head briskly at Nicole’s tone and turned around to jog back to the house. After everything they had been through, they knew to trust each other’s judgement and not to underestimate when any of them had a niggling feeling that something wasn’t right. She wasn’t sure if that was what had Nicole’s brow furrowing but she sure as hell wasn’t going to waste a moment questioning her or it and risk the slightest thing happening to Waverly or her nieces, even if her Mama had apparently come back from the dead.

Standing back, Waverly watched as Nicole placed her Mama gently down on the couch. Her Mama? That felt so strange to even think about. Where had she been? Why was she back? What had happened to her? Was it really her? Nicole’s eyes met hers across the room, soft and questioning, full of gentle concern that made Waverly realise that the soft noises of distress she was dimly aware of hearing were coming from herself.

Waverly wasn’t sure of Nicole moved really, really fast or if everything was slowing down for her but the next thing she felt was the comfort of Nicole’s arms wrapping around her, enveloping her in the security of her body and the calming scent of vanilla dipped donuts and lavender that was uniquely theirs.

Waverly buried her nose into it, breathing it in from the extra fragrant source where the marks left by her teeth remained indelibly etched into the elegant curve of Nicole’s neck. She felt Nicole’s head move, tilting to allow her better access as she sought out the marks she’d left on her as a soft purr rumbled up through her chest and rendered Waverly almost limp in her arms.

Rolling her eyes at them, Wynonna picked up one of their many throw cushions Waverly had had to push on the floor to make room and hurled it with perfect aim at the back of Nicole’s head where it struck with a satisfying thud. “Don’t put her to sleep, dumbass!” she smirked as Nicole’s head whipped around to glare at her. “How about one of you useless idiots go get a bottle of that good whiskey you’ve got hidden?”

“Wynonna, I don’t think she’s really in any condition to be drinking.”

“It’s for me, not Mama.”

“Wynonna?”

Eyebrows shooting up, Wynonna glanced down and found that her Mama’s eyes were slowly blinking up at her in clear confusion. “Hi, Mama… Waverly! Get a drink for me!” Wynonna was feeling a burning need for it even though it wouldn’t knock her out. Why, oh why, didn’t she get more of that cannabis-laced whiskey when she had the chance? That shit had been good!

“Waverly?”

Forget the whiskey! Wynonna decided that maybe she should just put in a call to Rosita and get her to do an emergency run with some of that potent Nymph shit? Having your Mama turn up out of the blue after eighteen years acting like she still expected to see them as little kids definitely felt like it fell under the category of an emergency.

“Hey, take it easy,” placing a hand upon her Mama’s too thin shoulder, Wynonna gently pressed her back against the cushions as she tried to struggle upright. “You’re safe here,” she quietly assured her. “Nicole here is—”

“I’m with the Sheriff’s Department, Ma’am,” Nicole finished for her as Wynonna broke off her explanation and looked to here with an unsure and slightly panicked look in her blue eyes. Their father had been a jerk of the highest order but just springing it on Michelle, if she was Michelle, that her husband wasn’t the Sheriff any more and that he was dead, seemed beyond cruel.

“I’ll just get you a drink of water.”

“I believe I heard mention of good whiskey?” Michelle prompted hopefully.

Nicole barked out a laugh, seeing so much of Wynonna and Waverly in Michelle at that moment. “Maybe just a little bit with some water until we get you checked out,” she relented, shaking her head slightly, a smile playing around her lips as she brushed a reassuring kiss over Waverly’s cheek and gave her fingers a squeeze before making her way towards the kitchen.

Michelle wanted to protest the coddling, she was a grown woman, damn it, and if she wanted a drink that was her decision. But the scents permeating the house after so long denied the comfort of her pack was like a balm to her soul and she found herself relaxing amongst it all despite herself.

As the red Alpha returned to the living room with an unopened bottle of whiskey, one of water and a glass in her hand, Michelle managed to sit upright on the comfy couch, arranging the sweetly scented blankets around her legs as she did so. Before the redhead could pour her a drink and weaken it with water, she snatched the bottle of whiskey out of her hand with a challenging look, opened it with a quick twist of the top and started chugging down the contents. The brunette Alpha still crouched beside the couch had been right, it was good whiskey.

Michelle froze in sudden realisation of her actions. If she had dared to do that to Ward, Michelle knew she would have been laid out on the floor with a bruised jaw by then. The thought gave her pause, closing off her throat to the burn of the whiskey until she realised that the Alpha wasn’t going to retaliate and ‘teach her some manners’ and instead was looking at her with gentle, if cautious, brown eyes.

“I- I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay, you go ahead,” Nicole smiled gently, seeing the tell-tale signs of a person more used to abuse in her life than anything else in the way Michelle hunched her shoulders and curled in on herself as though expecting to feel a blow land at any moment.

A dull thud upon the floor from above, quickly followed by a second, had anything Nicole might have been about to say remaining unspoken as she glanced at the ceiling and then Waverly.

“Guess they weren’t as asleep as we thought,” Waverly muttered as she tracked the noises working their way across the ceiling towards the stairs until the padding of paws and click of claws reached the top of the stairs.

“Looks like we’re going to have to invest in some better baby gates… or maybe puppy proof ones,” Nicole couldn’t help but smile as Kat and Dom tumbled and bounced their way down the stairs in their tiny wolf forms with Bernie holding on to their tails, valiantly trying to hold them back.

Michelle started at the two tiny red wolves, struck dumb by how terribly, impossibly young they were to be changing, as well as how utterly tender the red-haired Alpha was as she scooped up what was obviously her children, laughing as they wiggled enthusiastically in her arms.

Her own father had been a product of his generation, believing that children should be raised by an Omega. Ward had been even worse, paying attention only to Willa and losing interest long before Wynonna had arrived. By the time she had been blessed with Waverly, Ward had been a firm believer of children being seen and not heard and anything that led to him realising they were around had him acting violently. But here was this Alpha, lavishing attention on her young… which was strange in more than one way as female Alphas hardly ever had children on their own, it was their curse.

Holding out her arms, Waverly caught Dom as she launched herself out of Nicole’s arms in her enthusiasm to get to her. “You need to change back, Baby. I’m not feeding you on the floor with Bernie and CJ. Oh god! They’re going to be after their food aren’t they?” she huffed, burying her face against Dom’s silky fur.

Feeling a shift in the energy and tiny body in her arms, she watched, holding Dom more securely as she changed back into her more normal, until that day, human form. All chubby baby limbs and smiles as she threw her arms around her neck and burrowed against her as she realised there was a stranger watching her.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Smoothing down the silky strands of Dom’s hair, Waverly pressed soft kisses to her head as her daughter turned her head enough to sneak shy glances at her grandma.

Michelle’s breath caught, the bottle of whiskey she had been holding dropping from her suddenly limp grasp as she took in how heartbreakingly like her Waverly the baby was. She looked at them, raking her eyes back and forth between the baby and the woman holding her, seeing how alike they were apart from the hair.

Her jaw dropping open in confusion, Michelle looked from them to the young woman at her side, who was taking a long drag from the half empty bottle of whiskey. Catching her gaze, she dropped the bottle from her lips and gave her a wide smile that was as familiar as her beautiful blue eyes even if they were in a face that was more mature than she had last seen it.

“Wynonna?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Mama.”

“Waverly? My angel?”

“Well, I guess that was a bit too much for her to take in,” Wynonna grunted and took another gulp from the bottle as her Mama dropped face first across her lap in a dead faint.

“’Nonna!”

“What? I blame you for suddenly presenting her with grandchildren. Speaking of…” sliding out from under her Mama, Wynonna knelt on the floor and held out her arms to Kat. “Come to Aunty ‘Nonna!”

“Nono!”

“No, ‘Nonna,” Wynonna corrected the bundle of baby redhead, nuzzling her nose into the crook of her neck to make her squeal in delight.

Chuckling at them, Nicole quickly checked on Michelle. Her hands and cheek were still scarily cold so she pulled the blankets up to cover her just as she let out a loud snore.

“I’m going to call Doc and Xavier and let them know what’s going on,” she explained as she headed towards the door to step outside. As well as letting them know, she wanted to give them a heads up in case it meant that trouble was coming and she wanted to do that away from prying ears.

“Speak.” Xavier barked out, all business as usual.

“Xavier, is Doc with you?”

Xavier felt his muscles tensing and bunching up ready for action at the tone of Nicole’s voice. She was cool and calm but knowing as he did he could hear her wolf was prowling just beneath the surface, roughening the edges of her words.

Dropping his hand back to his side, he stepped back from the door and moved further out onto the porch with a light tread that still seemed to ring out like thunder in the stillness. He cast all his scenes outwards checking for anything out of place around the Homestead and beyond.

“Yes. We’re both at the Homestead with the kids. What’s going on, Nicole?”

“Hopefully nothing but… This is going to sound really insane but… Michelle Earp just turned up here.”

“What?!” Xavier’s eyes flew wide in shock, his hands gripping the phone and the porch rail tightly. Hearing the door open behind him, he glanced over his shoulder, catching Doc’s questioning look as he came out to investigate what was going on. “Are you sure it’s really Michelle Earp?”

His words were enough to make Doc’s blue eyes fly just as wide as he was sure is own where and had him striding out to lean against his side so he could listen in to what was being said.

“Wynonna seems very sure.”

“But, you’re not?”

“I can see Wynonna and Waverly in her features but I’m not going to jump to any conclusions just yet.”

“And Waverly?”

“Even less sure than I am. But, she was very young when Michelle went missing so there’s not much she remembers of her. The strange thing is… okay even stranger thing,” Nicole corrected herself at Xavier and Doc’s dual snorts. “She doesn’t seem to remember anything and thinks she’s looking for them as they were when she left eighteen years ago.”

“That seems awfully convenient,” Doc grumbled.

“Precisely. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you can keep an eye out for anything there. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her yet, but she mentioned the name, Juan Carlo… do you know him at all? He dropped her off in a truck with a mechanics logo on it. Seemed local but I didn’t recognise it.”

“No, that’s not anyone I’ve heard of around here. Doc?”

“I too am unfamiliar with anyone by the name of Juan Carlo.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll get them to run the plates and do a search at the station. I don’t want to leave them alone too long… Could you do me a favour and let Gus and Curtis know, and maybe see if you can reach Willa or Mercedes?”

“We’ll get right on it, Nicole.”

“Thanks, guys.”

“Just keep an eye on our girls and make sure Wynonna doesn’t do anything rash.”

“Sure, leave me the impossible tasks,” Nicole grumbled as their rich laughter rumbled down the phone at her before they hung up.

Tucking her phone back in her pocket, Nicole took a moment to walk around their house and scent the air, her ears perking as much as they could in human form to check the land around them. The forest seemed a little quieter than it had been, but it seemed to be perfectly normal kind of quieter. Just to be sure though, Nicole allowed a growl laced with a clear warning to rumble out, pitching it just right so that it travelled across the land to reach curious ears.

The only response came from their horses as they lifted their heads and looked at her from the paddock and gave what Nicole was sure was the horse equivalent of an eye roll before returning to their quiet grazing, tails flicking to ward off any flies stupid enough to buzz close and disturb their peace.

Satisfied, as much as she could be, that everything was normal outside, Nicole made her way back into the house, where just the woman she had left there lying on the couch made everything not in the least bit normal.

Waverly greeted her at the door, her body sliding into her space as she pressed herself against her. Sighing happily, Nicole rubbed her cheek against the smooth warmth of Waverly’s, finding her centre and the peace within her at the motion and the rush of scent that flowed between them.

“Everything okay?”

Leaning back in the circle of Nicole’s embrace, Waverly ran her hands up to play with the fine strands of hair at the nape of Nicole’s neck. “Yeah, Wynonna is sitting with her but she’s still out cold. Did you manage to get a hold of the boys?”

“Yep. They’re calling around for us. Knowing Gus’ driving they’ll be here soon. I should think if anyone is going to be able to tell if it is your Mama or not, it will be her sister.”

“Wynonna is pretty sure.” Chewing her lip, Waverly glanced back towards the living room uncertainly, not knowing how she felt herself.

“Waves, baby, I would rather be safe than sorry. We’ll help her no matter what if help is what she needs but I- we, need to be able to protect everyone. Just in case.” And top of that list for protection was Waverly. Nicole didn’t want her getting her heart broken if the woman wasn’t Mama. And lord… but there was enough pain to be had even if she was their Mama with all the questions she needed to answer.

Michelle was stirring as they entered the living room together, her eyes snapping to the playpen where Dom and Kat were rolling around playing together. Her brow furrowed, an almost wistful smile curving her lips as she watched them.

“They’re so beautiful,” she whispered as she eased herself upright on the couch once more. She still felt more confused than she ever had in her life, but looking at them helped her to focus and lifted the fog over her mind with the glimmer of the truth.

“That little one there looks so much like you did my sweet angel.” Reaching out, Michelle gently snagged Waverly’s fingers with her own, urging her to sit at her side so she could look at the beautiful women her daughters had grown in to. “How long was I gone?”

“You only passed out for a couple of minutes.”

“No, dear,” Michelle gently cupped Waverly’s face and ran her fingers over Wynonna’s head. “How long have I been gone that I missed so damn much of your lives?”

“Eighteen… years.” Waverly looked to Nicole for reassurance as her Mama suddenly enveloped her and Wynonna in her arms and sobbed against her. She didn’t know what to make of it, wasn’t sure what she should have been feeling when all she could remember of her Mama was…

… Was the song Mama had sung each night to help her sleep. The same song that she was humming in a slightly broken tune right then.

… And the soft, light floral scent of orchids and hothouse flowers that she was breathing in from the curve of her throat as though their closeness had released it.

Pulling back, Waverly gazed into the eyes that were so very much like her own. “Mama?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^^^^ Me


	2. Chapter 2

Nicole looked out through the kitchen window, staring almost blankly out across the land that lay beyond, watching their horses grazing slowly in the paddock, manes flowing like water as they tossed their heads. All the while her hands slowly worked almost automatically, running back and forth as she carefully dried the glass in her hands before putting it down on the counter and reaching for the next item waiting on the draining rack.

The main focus of her attention was upon the living room, her ears trained upon the murmur of voices, her senses locked with laser focus upon the tones of their voices almost more than the words being spoken as she listened for even the slightest hint that anyone was feeling uneasy.

An always, _always_ , Nicole listened to her connection to Waverly. Forged by their bond as mates and strengthened every day by their deepening love. It was a like a warm presence within her, filling up all the corners. When they had first become one it had felt like the missing piece of a jigsaw slotting into place within her but now it felt more like liquid. There were no seams between their connection any more, just a perfect blending of what joined them together and made them whole.

Even with everything she was having to come to terms with, with the twist life had thrown at them, Nicole felt Waverly’s contentment at her thoughts and felt a warm glow settle in her chest.

Draping the damp towel over the rail to dry, Nicole put away the few pieces of crockery before moving back to stand within the arch that separated the kitchen and living room. The girls were all together in the playpen, Kat and Dom playing quietly now that their sisters were with them. Bernie was standing guard… well, laying pressed tight against the pen, his eyes and ears alert and twitching. Calamity Jane was sitting on her desk near the stairs, looking regal and aloof in a way only a cat could.

Their guardian cat and dog.

For a moment, Nicole thought that they were just acting out more because of the stranger amongst them, but then she looked closer and realised that, yes, they were watching what was going on with the people in the room, but their main focus was on the doorways... protecting them.

Even though she had checked countless times since Michelle Earp had stepped out of the mechanics truck, Nicole cast her senses out, scenting past the familiar scents that filled the house, past the horses outside, across the summer dried earth and grass, out towards the steam and trees, and the road.

There was nothing around.

Nothing out of place.

But the tenseness remained in her shoulders just as much as it did within Bernie and CJ.

Nicole wanted answers.

They all did but for Nicole, it went with her training as a police officer and was amplified by her instinctive need to protect that went with being an Alpha.

But it was painfully obvious that Michelle Earp was in no real condition to answer anything right then as she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Each time she awoke it was with confusion clouding her eyes but with some food, and eventually some water instead of whiskey, inside her, she seemed to be waking more lucid and aware of her surroundings.

If it had been anyone else, Nicole was well aware that she would have insisted on them taking a trip to the hospital for evaluation or taken them to the station for questioning. But it was Waverly and Wynonna’s, Mama, the grandmother to her children. And while Wynonna could be trouble enough, Alpha or not, Nicole was not stupid enough to risk Waverly’s wrath.

A sound caught Nicole’s ears, Bernie and CJ’s too as she saw their movements mirror her own as she turned her head towards the front of the house, tracking the sounds of not one but two familiar vehicles racing down the road and turning down towards the house.

“Sounds like we’ve got visitors,” Nicole smiled as the familiar squeal of brakes and skid of tyres upon loose gravel let her know that Gus and Curtis had beat the Doc and Xavier. “It’s okay,” Nicole gave Waverly’s shoulder a tender squeeze and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “I’ll go.”

Michelle watched their interaction, taking in the warmth and love between them that was so palpable she felt sure she could touch it. Waverly, her darling sweet Waverly, blushed and ducked her head as her eyes met her own as Nicole left the house.

“Oh no, there’s no need to be shy. I am struggling with so much right now, but not this,” she waved a hand, indicating what was between Waverly and Nicole, the bite mark clear and proudly worn on her neck, and the four impossibly beautiful babies that were _so_ obviously little versions of them both even though that shouldn’t have been possible.

She had lost eighteen years of her life with her family and she wasn’t going to miss a moment more. “All I ever wanted was for my girls to be happy and… love is love,” she stated firmly with a nod of her head.

Turning her head, Michelle looked at Wynonna’s neck, her eyes falling to the bite mark there. She was so happy and proud that two of her daughters had found their true mates. She had loved their father once or had thought she had until he had started communicating more with his fists than words and he had proved just how weak his character as a man and an Alpha was.

If she had been lucky, one of the fortunate few that it happened for, then there might have been a soul mate out there for her like there was for her daughters. If there had, it had not been Ward Earp.

Weak of nature as a man. Weaker as an Alpha. He had retained the position of pack leader in Purgatory only because no one else had wanted it and he had done a deal with Bobo Del Rey. As long as the pack stayed out of his way and let him run his own pack in _their_ territory, doing all the illegal things they wanted unchallenged by the Sheriff’s Department… Bobo let them exist and had even dealt with anyone rising up through the pack that looked like they might have a problem with that.

Michelle hadn’t needed Waverly and Wynonna to tell her that Ward was dead. She could tell just by how happy they were and by how powerful. Even Waverly, an Omega like herself, was more powerful than Ward had ever dreamed imaginable. Michelle felt sick with the knowledge that Bobo would have killed them all if he could, and doubly so that Ward would have done nothing to protect them and might well have helped Bobo.

“So, Waverly’s found herself a good Alpha… How about you, Wynonna?” Michelle nodded at the mark on her daughter's neck, her brow furrowed in confusion as both of Wynonna’s hands came up and touched either side of her neck, a soft smile as she did so turning into a slightly nervous expression.

“Erm, yeah… I did too?”

Eyes flitting, knowing something was going on in Wynonna’s mind, Michelle ran over what she had said and Wynonna’s response. “You’re not mated to an Omega? Honey, as I just said, love is love…” though she could only imagine what it must be like having another Alpha as a partner. That was probably not so much sparks flying as an inferno blazing out of control. “Is it a man or a woman?”

“Apparently I’m the only one that isn’t a lesbian,” Wynonna flustered out. She hated it, grown-assed Alpha, leader of the pack no less and she felt like a child seeking her Mama’s approval again.

“I’m bisexual, Wynonna!” Waverly huffed.

“You’re still schtupping a woman so, same difference!” Wynonna fired back.

“Girls!” Their apologies were mumbled quietly either side of her. “That’s better… Now, I’m bound to meet your mate sooner rather than later, Wynonna so why don’t you tell me about him?”

“Them,” Wynonna mumbled barely above a whisper.

“Oh!” Michelle blinked as she absorbed that. “Erm… Well… I can’t wait to meet them both. It is just the two right?” she asked cautiously.

“Mama!” Wynonna hid her hands in her face. The conversations with Gus about sex and then the tiny fact that she was mated to two Alpha’s had been awkward enough but that was Gus, this was Mama. “Yes, just the two of them. Doc and Xavier and…” she felt them, their soothing natures calming her as they stepped out of Xavier’s SUV. “You’ll get to meet them in just a minute… and our daughters.”

Before Michelle could begin to absorb yet another thing she had missed out on when she had been… been… she couldn’t remember where she had been… Why couldn’t she remember?

Shaking her head to loosen the thoughts from the rabbit hole they kept racing into when she tried to grab them, Michelle looked towards the door as it burst open and her sister flew inside and came to a sudden halt as she saw her.

Gus eyed the woman sitting between her nieces up and down. Even after the call from Doc letting them know what Nicole had told them, even after the drive there with Curtis begging the whole way for her to slow down so they could get there in one piece… she still felt shock racing through her body, warring with the disbelief and anticipation at the sight of her.

“Michelle?” It was her! Even with the passing of time, there was no doubt in Gus’ mind that somehow her sister had been returned to them. She looked so much like their mother had, and sitting between Wynonna and Waverly, she could see the parts in them that they had inherited from her.

“Augustus?” Her face was more wrinkled, the dark wiry curls on her head greying, but they could have been separated by fifty more years and she would have seen her sister standing there before her.

“Goddamn it,” Gus released a sound that was part laugh and part sob. “You know I hate it when you call me that, sis!”

They moved together, meeting each other in the middle of the living room in a tangle of arms as they held each other just as tightly as they could and sobbed against each other’s shoulders until they found their feet leaving the ground as Curtis swept them both up into his arms in the biggest bear hug as only he dared without severe repercussions from his wife.

“Curtis McCready! Put us down ya damn fool!”

Michelle gazed up fondly at the big man as he put them down to avoid the swatting of Gus’ hands. He was as tall as ever, maybe a little wider around the middle but one thing definitely never changed. “Still growing that ridiculous beard I see, Curtis.” Reaching up, she smoothed her hands down his cheeks and along her jaw, feeling the brush of his soft facial hair against her palms.

Somewhere there was a flash of memory at the actions… the sharper bristle of whiskers… Not Ward. Ward was so fastidious about facial hair, and removing it, that he had carried a small razor with him at all times as though he was afraid a hair would grow in within ten minutes of leaving the house.

Michelle had made the mistake only once of pointing out that for a man that had been starting to show the first signs of male pattern baldness it was a strange obsession.

Even with her natural enhanced healing abilities, it had taken three days before she had been able to eat. Even when she was able to speak, Michelle had held her tongue about what Ward had done, more out of fear that he would find a way to take her second child before she could be born than because she’d believed his promise that it would never happen again.

Ward had got worse instead of better though, his anger bubbling over at a moment’s notice more and more after Waverly had been born. But Michelle had been too afraid to run and he had taken to keeping one of their daughters close at all times so she couldn’t take them all if she did run.

The memories were too much!

Too intense!

“Whoa, it’s okay,” Nicole quickly wrapped an arm around Michelle’s waist, supporting her as she staggered back and started to wobble alarmingly. Waverly helped her, guiding her mother back down onto the couch to sit between her and Wynonna.

“What’s wrong with her?” Gus knelt down, cradling Michelle’s almost feelingly cold hands between her own.

“Not a hundred percent sure,” Nicole growled. “We’re still waiting on old Dr Peterson to get here to check her out—”

“Going to the hospital would be too much for her, Nicole.” Wynonna shot back. Turning slightly, she brushed her hand over Michelle and Gus’ clasped ones. “She just needs time to recover and to be with family.”

“Wynonna,” Nicole sighed. “We all want what’s best with her but she’s been gone somewhere for the last eighteen years. I’ll be happier when she gets the all clear and we know what happened to her.”

“I remember…” Michelle whispered quietly. Lifting her head from where it had fallen against Waverly’s shoulder, the closeness enveloping her in the scent of lavender and vanilla. She looked up at her daughter’s mate, gazing deep into the kind brown eyes of the Alpha. “Some of it anyway,” she admitted.

“That’s good,” Nicole whispered gently, moving forward so that she could crouch down at eye level with her. “It’s good that you’re remembering. I would rather you were checked over by the doctor first before we talk, okay?”

“No. I _want_ to talk. I _need_ to remember.”

“Okay,” Nicole nodded, her lips curving into a smile at the familiar determination so very much like both Wynonna and Waverly’s. “We’ll talk but…” Nicole glanced around at everyone. “How about you spend a little time with the girls first,” she saw the way Michelle’s eyes lit up with wonder and anticipation and she looked at Alice in Doc’s arms and Michelle cradled within Xavier’s. “When they’re all settled, we can talk.”

Michelle nodded eagerly at the suggestion and the very idea of getting to hold and know yet more of her grandchildren… and the two men. “So, you two are the boys mated with my daughter, huh?”

Waverly hid her smile as Nicole’s wink in her direction as Doc and Xavier shared a nervous glance with each other at Mama’s challenging tone. Making room for them all, she climbed off the couch and followed Nicole into the kitchen to fix drinks for everyone. Nicole’s arms were open and ready for her, the warm curve of her body a safe haven as she pressed into her.

“You okay, baby?”

The soft whisper purred against her ear had a spark of electricity racing up and down Waverly’s spine, chased by the warmth of Nicole’s hands and spread until her body felt suffused with delicious heat. “Mmmm, much better now.”

The seductive purr and glance that Waverly gave her from beneath thick lashes had Nicole seriously wondering if there was any possible way she could carry Waverly upstairs without everyone in the living room noticing. She got as far as wondering if there was a window open upstairs they could climb through when Doc backed into the kitchen and nearly bumped into them.

He mumbled an apology from beneath his bushy moustache but kept his blue eyes fixed upon the living room like he expected Bulshar to appear from his grave if he looked away.

“That—” Doc cleared his throat to try again. “My apologies Waverly but your Mama is a _mighty_ intimidating force of nature.”

“Doc, you know her sister and daughters, were you really expecting _anything_ less than that?”

“On that, Nicole, you have a point,” Doc smirked playfully.

“Hey!” Waverly was pretty darn sure she’d just gotten insulted in some way by both of them. But, as Doc was out of reach and Nicole wasn’t, she poked Nicole in the side just hard enough to make her crease up a little and release a little noise that was part grunt and partly a suppressed giggle.

“I meant that in the best way, baby.” Capturing Waverly’s hands before she could poke again, she kissed the tips of her fingers and smiled against them as Waverly narrowed her eyes playfully at her.

“Sure, sure. Just don’t forget, Sheriff Haught, I know where you sleep.”

“Oh, I know you do,” Nicole drawled out, pulling Waverly closer to claim a quick kiss. Even quick, their lips clung together softly as they lingered, one kiss turning into two and then more.

Waverly rolled her eyes as Doc cleared his throat quietly but very pointedly. She felt Nicole’s lips curve against hers in a wry smile before they moved again, pressing against hers in one more lingering kiss before she lifted her head and stepped back slightly. Even though there was only a matter of inches between them, Waverly felt the loss of comfort and warmth so keenly that all she wanted to do was step back into it to assure herself that everything was going to be okay.

_“It will, baby. Everything is going to be just fine.”_

Waverly felt her body relax as Nicole spoke using her mind. The gentle cadence of it filled her, hitting every part of her body to release tension that Waverly had, maybe foolishly, not even realised had been building in her since the moment their day had been turned upside down by her Mama’s return.

The questions about where she had been, what had happened… They churned within Waverly’s mind until she felt like she was going to drown in them.

_“Breathe, baby. I got you. We’ll get all the answers you need in due time.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“Promise.”_

Waverly blushed slightly as she caught the knowing look in Doc’s patient eyes. “Sorry, Doc.”

“That is quite alright, Waverly. If you feel the need to make it up to me though, you could do so with some more of that fine whiskey you prefer… I believe I deserve it,” he finished on a quiet whisper and a nervous glance back towards the living room.

“More? There was half a bottle— Never mind… I forgot I left it within reach of Wynonna,” Nicole rolled her eyes at herself for her mistake. “Just help yourself, Doc. No more for Michelle though, if Peterson needs to take blood later it might be better if the lab didn’t need to sort through that too if she’s been drugged.”

“I’m not letting anyone take my blood! I might be having trouble remembering at the moment but I know it’s not because I was drugged. No need for the police to be involved at all as there’s nothing to solve.”

“Mama—”

“Don’t ‘Mama’ me, angel. No one is taking any blood. I wasn’t drugged, I wasn’t raped or kidnapped.”

“You have been missing for eighteen years—”

“No blood. No doctors.”

Michelle stared challengingly into Nicole’s eyes, testing the metal of the young Alpha that Gus had just informed her had already taken over from Randy Nedley as Sheriff and had pretty much been accepted as the unofficial second in charge of the pack. Michelle had the feeling that there was more to the woman but before she dove into that she wanted to see how she dealt with confrontation before she decided if she was truly worthy of her daughter.

“Okay. No blood. It’s your right to refuse so if that’s what you want,” Nicole nodded her head slowly in acknowledgement that this was something else pack related that wasn’t going to be handled to normal police procedures. “I should have asked sooner. Are you okay with having Peterson check you out? He’s… competent but not the best, we just have to call on him if it’s for official business. If would you prefer another healer, Clarke would probably be better, right, Waves?”

“Oh, definitely. She’s a friend of ours, Mama, you would like her. She might even be able to give you something to help with your memory.”

Michelle blinked slowly, almost bewildered by how easily Nicole had considered her wants and bent to adjust.

“This Clarke, is she pack?”

“Clarke is a Wood Nymph, Mama. She lives with the Yiska in the Pine Barrens. Waverly and Nicole have got a house up there with them too.”

“You- you have contact with the Yiska?” Michelle blinked even harder, her head spinning with how much had changed. In all her years she had never heard of the Yiska having contact with anyone.

“Earp, probably best not to throw too much at her right now, yeah? There will be time enough for all of that.” Especially as ‘all of that’, included the small fact that she was Bulshar’s daughter. Either through the same ingrained beliefs as her daughters or, more likely, her patchy memory, she hadn’t taken one look at her hair colour and judged her as many others had throughout her life.

“Yes- that… that might be good dear. It’s all a little overwhelming right now. And yes, if you think this Clarke will be of help I’ll let her check me out.”

“I’ll give them a call. Xavier,” Nicole called him over as he was closest. “Did you manage to get in touch with Willa?”

“Yeah. They’re in Florida so it was a miracle I was able to get through with that hurricane slamming the whole state.”

“Shit! Are they okay?”

“Holed up in a swanky hotel according to Willa. Flights in and out have been diverted and grounded so she says they’ll be home as soon as they can get out of there. Nicole,” he gently touched her forearm as she turned away, drawing her eyes back to him. “Are you sure you want to keep this off the books?” he asked softly.

“No,” she growled in frustration. “You know I like to try and play by the rules. But… her wellbeing is the main priority and I think she’s on the verge of clamming up if she doesn’t get her way. If she says anything that says this needs to be done differently then we’ll cross that then. Maybe if it is, Black Badge can pick it up?”

“Black Badge is always willing to help out the local authorities in any capacity it can,” Xavier smiled wolfishly.

“Yeah,” Nicole chuckled, “you’re only saying that cause Jeannie and Eliza are at main HQ.”

“You know me too well, Sheriff Haught.”

Nicole shook her head fondly as Xavier spun around, the brilliant white of his smile lingering long after he’d left. Being a father… a co-father had loosened him up. Or as Nedley had put it, _‘it’s nice to see the boy has finally removed the stick from out of his over-tight ass.’_

While she waited for her call to connect and be answered, Nicole made her way outside to check on the horses. Macha spotted her in an instant as Nicole let out a low whistle and left the others to walk towards her, her body swaying with each step under the extra burden of the foal, or foals, growing within her. Wynonna was convinced that Macha would follow everyone else and have twins… which was a blame she was still laying at her door.

As that meant she had four beautiful daughters, Nicole didn’t mind at all, in fact she couldn’t be happier, but she still failed to see how she was at fault for Wynonna’s girls or the three other sets of twins that had been born into the pack since then no matter how much Wynonna kept trying to get Waverly to back her up with research.

Taking a treat out of her pocket, Nicole held it out. Eyes lighting up, Macha let out an excited snort and snatched it off her palm with an eager chomp of teeth that had Nicole checking she still had all her fingers as Macha lifted her head and chewed contentedly.

“Nicole?”

“Hi, Clarke. I was wondering if you could help us out?”

“Is Waverly pregnant again?”

“What? No! At least I don’t think so… No!” Nicole huffed at Clarke’s chuckle. “Stop that.”

“You didn’t sound too sure about that then,” Clarke smirked.

“You just caught me unawares. Been a strange day.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. Just to be clear though before you get your hopes up, Waverly isn’t pregnant.” And hopefully, she would stay that way as long as Dr Navalar had got the dose worked out right on Waverly’s contraceptive as their heat and rut were due soon. Not that either of them would mind too much if it failed but if it didn’t then they would have to look at not spending their heat and rut together. And that was something they didn’t want happening.

“Well if there are no baby emergencies… there are no baby emergencies, right?”

“Lord, things got so wild I almost forgot that Kat and Dom changed earlier.”

“They—”

“Yep, they changed.”

Clarke sat down. She’d always suspected, maybe even hoped, that with how quickly they had started walking and talking that they were going to take after their mothers and defy all the usual rules and expectations that went with Werewolves.

“Is everything okay, Clarke?”

“What? Oh, yes, my love,” Clarke ran her hand over Alexandria’s face, smoothing away the concern putting creases around the fullness of her mouth. “Just talking with Nicole, Dominique and Katherine changed… Four-legged or two-legged, Nicole?”

“Four paws deep into trouble,” Nicole chuckled. “Bernie is trying his best to corral them when they get going and CJ will be looking for better hiding places.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” Clarke grinned excitedly at the thought. “You said you needed my help for something else?”

“Yes,” taking a breath, Nicole filled Clarke and Alexandria in on Michelle’s return. “She’s refusing to see the doctor assigned to the police but she said she’ll let you check her out. Have you got time? We could bring her up to you if it’s easier?”

“No, keep her there where she’s settled and I’ll be down as soon as I can.”

“As will I,” Alexandria added as she took Clarke’s phone from her while she went to start getting supplies together to take.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Nicole smiled. “Oh, by the way, trouble turned up earlier,” Nicole held up the phone for Macha to whinny into on cue.

“Is that Macha?”

“Yup. Akna and the twins are here too. I was going to call earlier to let you know but then everything got all crazy.”

“I think by now that everyone knows that if they’re not here they’ve made their way home.” She emphasised the word _‘home’_ , letting Nicole know that that was how the horses saw it. “If everything is ready there I see no reason why they can’t stay.”

“Could you give it a look over for me when you get here?”

Alexandria was in no doubt that it was just fine as Nicole had gone over plans and every tiny detail about what needed doing until Clarke had told her that she had been talking about it in her sleep. “Of course. It looks like Clarke is ready so we will be there soon.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

Nicole slipped her phone back in her pocket, the motion bringing hopeful eyes snapping her way.

“You are spoiling them,” Waverly chuckled as she watched Nicole handing out treats, a sheepish look on her face when she realised she’d been caught red-handed. Taking Nicole’s offered hand, she hopped up onto the top rail of the paddock fence, swinging around so she could wrap her arms around Akna’s neck as her horse threw her head over her shoulder, shrouding her in a curtain of her glistening cream mane as she let out a soft whinny to her softly cooed greeting.

“Who’s my gorgeous girl?”

“Well, I thought that was me,” Nicole teased. “Should I be jealous?”

Peeking out from behind Akna’s mane, Waverly laid a stinging slap on Nicole’s shoulder. “Idiot,” she laughed. “Did you manage to get through to Clarke?”

“Yep, they’re heading down now. How’s it going in there?”

Waverly chuckled softly. “I think both Doc and Xavier are completely traumatised and Mama is loving doing it just a little too much.”

“Sounds just a little too much like Wynonna.”

“Not going to say like me too?” Waverly cocked a brow at Nicole, daring her to just try it.

“Never,” Nicole stated firmly as she placed her hands on Waverly’s waist and helped her to hop down off the fence. “I wouldn’t dare,” grinning, she set of running back for the house, Waverly’s huff and feet pounding upon the ground in hot pursuit.

“Ohhh! Nicole Haught! You’re going to pay for that!”

Aided by a timely assist from Bernie, Waverly pounced, taking Nicole to the kitchen floor to sit astride her waist in triumph. Her gloating, if there was going to be any, was derailed by the gentle brush of Nicole’s fingers along the outside of her thighs where they bracketed her body and the soft, loving look in Nicole’s eyes. The honey brown of her eyes grew darker, flecks of gold and green dancing within them as the colour started to grow, expanding to fill the whites as Nicole allowed her wolf to bleed through slightly.

Waverly let her wolf rush eagerly to respond and even though she could tell no difference herself, she knew her eyes started to change with it as she grasped Nicole’s jaw gently but firmly and tilted her head to the side to expose the mark clear upon her graceful neck to her gaze and mouth as she leaned down to nuzzle her lips against it. Breathing in deeply through her mouth, she could taste the vanilla and lavender blended together from their bond, filling her mouth and lungs with its sweetness.

_“I really hope Dr Navalar is on the ball ‘cause I think we’ll be testing it out soon.”_

Waverly shivered at the rough gravel in Nicole’s purr in her mind and the implication of her words. And yes, although their heat and rut weren’t _supposed_ to hit, it sure felt closer than it should have been right then.

 _“Nicole, what if it doesn’t work and I end up pregnant again?”_ it was something they had discussed so many times already but Waverly wanted, needed, the reassurance she knew she would get.

 _“Then we will be blessed with another baby… or babies if you stay true to form.”_ Raising up, Nicole brushed her lips against Waverly’s, smiling into the moan that poured from Waverly’s mouth into hers. She poured all her love for Waverly and their children into her kiss, letting her the woman that had her heart and soul feel everything, filling her with it until there was no room for doubt.

Hearing the patter of feet, Waverly pulled back reluctantly and rolled her eyes as Bernie barrelled through from the living room with Dom and Kat in hot pursuit to jump on them… in wolf form again. “You two are going to be exhausted if you don’t stop that.”

“At least they’ll sleep good. Though, I get the feeling we’ll be worn out first,” Nicole chuckled as they bounced and wiggled around on top of her. “Okay, Aunty Al and Aunty Clarke will be here soon, so you terrors need to behave.”

Butts hit the floor with a soft thud as, throwing back their heads, they let out puppyish barks that sounded to Waverly far too much like the way they tried to imitate Alexandria’s pronunciation of ‘Clarke’ and had ended up calling her ‘Klork’.

“Oh boy.”

Scooping up both wriggling monsters, Nicole gave a throaty purr that had a similar effect on them as it did Waverly and they went limp and calm enough for her to make it back to her feet.

“Sneaky Alpha tricks,” Waverly shook her head at Nicole’s satisfied smirk.

“Hey, don’t hear you complaining when it helps get them to sleep when they’re still wound up after a long day.”

“Still sneaky.” Rising up on her toes, she ghosted her lips across Nicole’s as she bent towards her willingly. Sleepy, wet puppy noses nuzzled against her neck and snuffled against her ear, completing instead of ruining the moment of domestic bliss. “If Jas and Mel turn early too it sure is going to be fun around here with all the naked kids running around ripping their diapers off with every change.”

“Puppy pads?” Nicole shrugged. “Or we could ask Alexandria if they do baby sized Yiska clothing?”

Just the thought of her little girls dressed in tiny versions of Nicole’s outfit had Waverly hoping that they did. “That would be too adorable. Let’s ask!”

“Waves, I’m kind of worried about them when the full moon arrives.”

Waverly sighed softly and ran her fingers through Nicole’s hair as Nicole dipped her head to nuzzle at their daughter's soft fur.

Changing was not easy, certainly not at first.

Coming in the eighth year, usually, like some bullshit version of an extra hairy puberty; changing to four paws was generally easier but still shocking. But then there was the full moon change when they shifted into a much larger form that could still talk and walk on two legs.

If four paws were like puberty, then two was like being slammed with a killer menstrual cycle and labour pains without knowing what it was.

You could think you were prepared and ready… but no one ever was.

For Waverly, the memories of hers were of pain heaped upon pain thanks to a dangerous prank by Willa. She had been on the ice of the frozen over lake near the Homestead at the time. Something that would have been no problem for her tiny eight-year-old body even at that time of the year but with the sudden extra weight as she’d changed, she had broken the ice beneath her and plunged through into the freezing, choking waters.

It had tainted every change until Nicole had helped her through them by using her own changing to calm and guide her.

And Nicole. Nicole’s first change had come even sooner than the twins when her father, Bulshar had ripped her out of her skin when she was a baby and forced the change upon her to see if she was worthy enough to be called family. Maybe her change would have come upon her naturally as it was with Dom and Kat, they would never know as the moment had been stolen from her.

“Nic, no matter what, we’ll help them, in that and in everything, okay?” Soft, brown eyes tilted up to meet hers. Waverly wasn’t sure if Nicole was looking for hope, reassurance or something else in her eyes but she seemed to find it as she smiled and nodded her head, the motion rubbing her cheek against the palm of her hand.

“Are you two done being all soft and annoyingly lovey-dovey in there?”

Waverly rolled her eyes at the smirk she could hear in Wynonna’s voice. “Never!”

“Leave your sister alone, dear.”

“Yes, Ma,” Wynonna whined contritely.

The soft, parental defence was everything that Waverly hadn’t realised she’d been missing until then. Gus and Curtis had done their best, and Waverly had readily accepted them as parental figures in her life after the abuse at her father’s hands and belt, but Willa and Wynonna had been older and had rebelled against everything, including Gus and Curtis, in their own ways.

“Here, let me have one of them.” Holding out her hands, Waverly took Kat from Nicole. At first glance, they looked pretty much alike in their wolf forms as they were pretty much just fluffy red fur but there was no hiding the eyes even if they were lidded and sleepy from a dose of Nicole’s purr. “So sleepy,” she smiled as Kat let out a jaw-cracking yawn and promptly shifted back into her usual toddler form to rub at her eyes with tiny fists while Dom held onto her wolf form determinedly. “No point in putting you down to sleep just yet though, huh?”

“Nope, soon as Al and Klork get here they’ll perk right up no matter what ‘sneaky tricks’ I use.” Just the mention of their Aunts had the girls perking right up and looking around excitedly. “Soon,” she chuckled.

While Waverly settled the girls… finally both of them back to being just girls… back in the playpen with their sisters and cousins, Nicole made her way upstairs to change out of the clothes she had been working and sweating in. She would have dearly loved to have had a shower too but she knew how long it would take for Clarke and Alexandria to get there and she didn’t want to keep them waiting. And not only because Alexandria would make her pay for it the next time they had combat training together.

As it was, even with wasting no time, as her foot hit the top of the stairs to head down, a familiar scent caught her attention that let her know that they’d made better time than she’d expected.

“They’re here!”

“What?” Wynonna’s brow furrowed. “You’re trippin’ Haughtstuff, I can’t hear any vehicle.”

“That’s ‘cause they came cross country,” grinning, Nicole jerked her head towards the other door through the kitchen and the trees beyond. She watched as everyone turned their attention in that direction and saw as they picked up the unique scent of Alexandria’s bear and the Pine Barrens themselves that seemed to cling to her and Clarke.

Waverly watched as Kat and Dom bounced excitedly in the playpen, their bodies almost vibrating with it as the huff and grunt of Alexandria’s breathing and the thud of heavy paws tearing across the ground grew closer along with a joyous laugh from Clarke who was no doubt using Alexandria as her steed. Knowing they wouldn’t settle, Waverly scooped them up in her arms and headed towards the kitchen so they could watch their arrival as Nicole stepped out to great them.

It was a sight that Waverly could witness a million times and she would be just as impressed every single time as their friends and, in many ways, mentors made their way to the house. As she’d thought, Clarke was sat astride Alexandria’s back, riding her massive bear form with ridiculous ease. She leapt off nimbly and Alexandria rose up, towering over all of them before her body shrank down to its more usual human size with maybe only an extra bit of a tangle to her long, braided hair to show for her swift passage through the trees.

At first glance, to anyone that didn’t know her, Alexandria looked every inch a warrior with barely an ounce of expression upon her face. And she could be like that when the occasion arose. But, they knew her well and Waverly loved to see all the things that Alexandria kept hidden… the twinkle in her green eyes that lit up even brighter as her gaze fell upon her and the children, the way her lips curved slightly, softening the fierce line of her jaw.

People smiled in different ways for different reasons.

Waverly had hidden for years behind a smile and a wave, fooling others and herself into thinking she was always happy even on the darkest of days.

Nicole could sometimes be the same way but she was not as versed at hiding behind a smile. And when the dimples came into play that was a genuine smile of joy that was almost blinding to see.

Alexandria, she was the kind that never smiled or laughed unless she meant it and even one as small as that was a delight to see to those that looked hard enough. To anyone else she looked cold and stoic but to Waverly’s eyes, she was positively beaming.

“I think they’ve grown since we saw them last!”

“Clarke, you only saw them two days ago,” Waverly laughed as the sunny blonde, Wood Nymph cooed at Dom and Kat as they chanted the name of their ‘Aunty Klork’.

“Two days too long. And I hear you two have been doing all kinds of growing. May I?” Clarke held out her hands and caught Dom as she threw herself across the tiny gap between them before Waverly could finish agreeing. “Whoa!” she chuckled, balancing Dom on her hip as she played with the now pink-tipped strands of her hair. “How are you holding up?” she questioned softly, sparing a glance towards the house behind them.

“Erm, a little shocked I think. A good shock though.”

Waverly didn’t sound too sure about that but Clarke didn’t push as she could well imagine how it must feel to have someone returned to them like that after so long and all the questions they must have about what had happened in all that time.

Waverly nudged her shoulder against Clarke’s, nodding towards Nicole and Alexandria with a smile on her lips. They were all such close friends and yet the two still insisted in going about their usual greeting. Waverly wasn’t sure if it was in deference to Alexandria’s position as a leader or because Nicole had fallen afoul of Alexandria’s training methods and was secretly trying to get on her good side… unfortunately, Nicole had never worked out that being on Alexandria’s good side was why she kept getting singled out for one on one training.

It started the same every time though with the slightest bowing of heads and the offering of hands, Nicole’s first in a sign of respect before they clasped each other’s forearms in the typical Yiska fashion. After that, it depended on location and setting. Formal meant stepping back, whereas this was not in the least bit formal and they ended up giving each other a warm hug.

“You know, Anya is secretly jealous of them hugging like that,” Clarke whispered out of the side of her mouth as she watched them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Waverly’s head whip back and forth between them and herself, her mouth going from an ‘O’ to a smirk. “At least that is what Raven told me… Anya just grunted and glared at Raven.”

“Are they plotting against us?”

“Naw… just gossiping.” Thankfully, Alexandria didn’t ask what about as she was quickly distracted by the girls as Clarke and Waverly put them down so they could charge over. “And there goes their diapers again,” Nicole sighed as they shifted again before launching themselves at Alexandria as she knelt down to greet them.

Stepping back so they could all play… the girls clinging to Alexandria’s thick fur as she changed for them, Nicole looped her arms around Waverly’s waist as she moved to stand in front of her.

By the time they moved back inside, Kat and Dom were finally out cold and snoring softly against Nicole’s shoulders, their arms draped around each other and curled within the fabric of her top. It was such an adorable, blissful sight that Waverly couldn’t resist smoothing her hand over the curve of their backs, feeling their deep, even breathing and responsive wiggles as well as the strength in Nicole’s elegant hands where they supported them carefully.

“I’ll get them settled upstairs while Clarke takes a look at your Mama, okay?” she whispered softly so as not to disturb her precious cargo.

“Okay.” Waverly couldn’t resist watching as Nicole made her way across the room, pausing at everyone that wanted to bestow one last kiss or touch upon their sleeping forms. Dom, being Dom, managed to stir just enough to attempt a grab for Doc’s moustache as always but before Nicole’s foot was upon the first step, she was fast asleep in her arms again.

“You got yourself a good one there, Waverly. She’s so good with them.”

“Yes, she is,” smiling softly, Waverly perched herself upon the arm of a chair after introductions were made and Clarke started checking on Mama, using skills and gifts that went beyond any kind of tools a Doctor would use. With a few simple touches, Waverly was sure she knew every bruise Mama had had her whole life… knowing papa, many of those were at his hands. Clarke kept talking though. Asking questions but never pushing for answers about what had happened.

Muttering softly under her breath, Clarke rummaged around in the overflowing satchel slung over her shoulder until she found the pouch she was looking for. “Waverly, would you mind fixing some of this for your Mama? Usual rules.”

“Usual rules?” Wynonna teased. “What’s that then, dancing naked at midnight.”

“Don’t be silly, Wynonna,” Hopping back down the last step, Nicole grinned as Wynonna’s body jerked in surprise. “Midnight naked dancing is for the aphrodisiac blend. Usual rules is, seep for five minutes and to never, ever… let Wynonna add booze to it.”

“That is not a rule!” Wynonna snorted dismissively. “Right? Anyway, I only did that once.”

“Yes, and Gustus _swore_ he went blind for five minutes.”

Wynonna waved a hand dismissively. “Gustus is such a drama queen!”

Michelle let the banter flow around her as she gazed into the mesmerizing blue eyes of the girl before her. There was something about those eyes, something so ancient that went far beyond the years of the face that wore them. They were so perfectly blue they reminded her of the most perfect of summer skies but the scent of her was as green as the forest… lush, towering trees, the scent of pine and poplar, the richness of the earth, and the rich, floral scents of the flowers that grew upon the forest floor and climbed, twisting around trunks and over branches in search of the sun.

It brought tears to her eyes as the memories of her youth, days and nights romping through the forests with friends and family, the times she had taken Wynonna camping. It all washed over her.

And then there was fear as she suddenly remembered her last time in the forest… the pain… the feel of her body bumping over sharp stones and roots. The feel and scent of damp earth raining down on her face and body.

She thrashed against the hands touching her. A terrible wailing sound like a wounded animal reaching her that she somehow, on some level, vaguely realised was coming from her.

Suddenly the scent of lavender and vanilla hit her senses, calming her as it filled her lungs. Lifting her head just enough, Michelle realised that she was safe within her daughter’s arms, breathing in the scent she shared with her mate.

“Waverly?”

“It’s okay, Mama. We’re here.”

Turning her head, Michelle sought out Wynonna’s whiskey and honey scent. “I- I’m sorry, jus’ got hit by a memory.”

Nicole knelt down slowly so as not to scare her. “Was it from when you were gone?”

“No. It was from before Juan Carlo saved me. It—” frowning slightly, she glanced at her daughters before looking at Nicole again. “It was from the night Ward killed me.”

Michelle breathed in the scent of the tea rising with the steam from the cup that Waverly had gently pressed into her hands. The heat from it warmed her inside and out as she took a tentative sip. She had expected it to smell like dried, musty leaves and for it to taste no better, but… it was actually pretty good.

More than good. She wasn’t sure if it was focusing on the drink and holding the cup in her hands steady or if there was something healing in it, but with every sip, she felt more focused and alert. Something that was sorely needed after the bombshell her memories had dropped on herself and her daughters. Though, she couldn’t help but realise that they didn’t seem as shocked as she thought they probably should.

“What happened to him anyway?”

“He’s dead, Mama. He can’t hurt you or anyone else ever again.”

There was more to it, Michelle could see it by the looks being passed around the room. She could wait for the story though. The one thing that mattered was that he was gone. “I’m glad. I thought I loved him once but he was just a mean-spirited bastard.”

“There’s no rush,” Nicole assured her gently. “But do you feel up to talking about what happened?”

Michelle took another steadying sip of the tea. A huge part of Michelle raged against the very idea, a scream rising up within her of ‘No! No! NO!’ How could she possibly be ready to talk about that... EVER?! Her fear was overruled by the gentleness of Nicole’s eyes and instead of screaming, she found herself nodding.

“I’m afraid there is still so much missing.” Rather than face them and see the disappointment in their eyes, she looked down into the shimmering steam rising from the tea. “I don’t even rightly recall what set Ward off. By then it could have been the smallest of things. All I can remember is his fists and boots laying into me over and over again while he screamed at me. I thought he would never stop… usually, he did but that time was different,” she paused, wincing at the memory of his heavy work boot stomping down on her arms and legs when she tried to crawl away, and then rushing towards her stomach and finally her face when she was too weak to even move. “Erm, I remember being dragged somewhere outside. Bumping over roots and stones. And then there was dirt in my face. After that… nothing.”

Nicole worked desperately to keep her anger in check. Ward wasn’t alive to pay for what he had done and she felt sure that if she gave voice to her anger and horror it would just scare Michelle who was looking so small and beat down, her body hunched around itself as though waiting for a blow to land.

“Michelle…” shuffling slowly closer, Nicole gently and ever so slowly reached out, her palm up, fingers loose, making sure that the other woman saw it coming the whole way. “I swear to you, you’re safe now. You’re home.”

“Home.” Unfurling her hand, Michelle placed it within Nicole’s gentle touch, trusting that the Alpha with the soft brown eyes so full of compassion and understanding was telling her the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	3. Chapter 3

Nicole hummed in quiet satisfaction as she moved around the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Once, she would have said that the night was her favourite time of the day. Even though it had held the most potential danger for her, it was also when she had felt the most free to move around in the night if she was careful as the darkness hid her from sight.

Now though, she couldn’t really decide if there was a time of the day she liked more than any other as she had reasons to like them all equally.

Nicole did have a fondness for early mornings though. Especially that morning. After the shock of the day before the feeling of newness and potential that rose with the sun was most welcome.

As was the soft sleepiness of their babies as they woke and slowly started to come alive.

Though, that morning after all the changes into their wolf forms they had done, Kat and Dom were especially sleepy and were almost face down in their chairs waiting for breakfast and barely even stirred as Nicole tousled their heads of silky fine red hair.

They were so young to be changing, too young in Nicole’s opinion, but they would adjust and get stronger with each one and she wasn’t going to hold them back or tell them they couldn’t or shouldn’t change. What they needed, what they would get, was love and guidance.

Melanie and Jasmin watched intently with serious eyes as she moved back to the stove to entertain them with quick flips of the pancakes. It obviously impressed them enough as they grinned and giggled around the teats of the bottles hanging almost forgotten from their mouths.

While, apart from having her hair, Kat looked like her, while Dom looked like Waverly. Mel and Jas, on the other hand, were identical in every way, down to sharing similar moods and temperaments. From the tops of their dark auburn hair to the tips of their perfect little toes they looked like her and Waverly’s DNA had been smooshed together perfectly to create a blend of them. Even their eyes managed to hover in that indefinable state where they were slightly darker than Waverly’s hazel in some lights making them look brown, and in other lights, they were lighter than hers making them look more hazel.

It had everyone that looked at them trying to pick out whose ears, nose, chin, lips… generally whatever body part they looked at, came from who.

Nicole just felt that even though they were identical, they were both perfectly unique.

Pouts from empty bottled being removed despite the determined tightening of mouths were erased by bite-sized pieces of pancakes with a _light_ drizzle of syrup that Nicole knew would end up smeared from one end of the kitchen to the other and beyond given half a chance even though they were confined to their high chairs with Bernie guarding the floor beneath them from stray scraps of food.

“Calamity Jane! Get off the table!” Nicole rolled her eyes at CJ’s disgruntled, whirring _merp_ followed by a solid THUD as the usually light-footed cat showed her displeasure at being denied access to the table once again as she jumped down. “And no coughing up a hairball behind or in anything as revenge, young lady!” Nicole threw over her shoulder along with a distracted wave of her spatula.

“Careful, babe. You’ll poke someone’s eye out with that.”

Smiling softly, Waverly carefully moved the skillet off the heat and slotted herself into the curve of Nicole’s body. She watched her own hands as they travelled up over Nicole’s bare arms. Her fingers traced the lines of strong muscle beneath the softness of her lightly tanned skin. Up to her shoulders and the elegant, slender curve of her neck until they vanished under the strands of red hair lit by the sun shining through the window to find their home twisting and combing through the warmth at Nicole’s nape.

Waverly’s breath caught as Nicole’s hands, so strong and knowing, came to rest so delicately upon her waist that it made Waverly shiver in longing. Her touch upon her skin where it was exposed by her top riding up, was as hot as a brand, the heated contact pulling a whimper from Waverly as she tried to press even closer to Nicole’s body to assuage the ache in her own but found herself held delicately, deliberately, captive.

Nicole’s fingers flexed and fluttered upon her, sparks trailing across Waverly’s nerves in their wake as Nicole’s hands moved upon her, pulling her only slightly closer, not enough to allow them further contact, as they curved around to her spine.

It was a delicious torment and completely maddening with how on edge she was, and even if she couldn’t feel it with their connection, Waverly could see it on Nicole’s annoyingly perfect face and in her annoyingly perfect brown eyes that she knew what she was doing to her, and revelled in it.

Dipping her head, Nicole ran her lips across the perfect line of Waverly’s jaw, bypassing her lips for safety reasons as she sounded like she wanted to bite going by her low growl. Reaching the delicate shell of her ears, Nicole turned Waverly’s growl into a needy whine by drawing her lobe into her mouth, sucking gently as dragging her teeth across it before releasing it and purring softly in her ear…

“We have little eyes watching us, Waves.”

“Never stopped us kissing before,” Waverly pointed out, punctuating each word with a teasing nip along Nicole’s jaw. “It is better for them if they get used to what a healthy, loving relationship looks like.”

“True… not sure about everyone upstairs though and you know how much Wynonna loves to interrupt.”

Waverly huffed in frustration at the reminder but found she didn’t care enough about the threat of Wynonna or anyone else interrupting to let go. Let them try! Hell, they could bring a brass band through the house if they wanted!

“Don’t tempt her,” Nicole breathed against the lush fullness of Waverly’s lips as they curved into a smile that was just a touch wicked.

“I would rather tempt you.” Waverly’s smile broadened, need punching her low in the abdomen as Nicole gave a full body shiver in response to her words breathed against her lips and the movement of her hands from the nape of her neck to her jaw and throat, her blunt nails teasing across her flesh and the mark upon her neck.

“Oh, baby, trust me. You don’t need to try at all to do that.” Brushing her thumb across Waverly’s bottom lip, Nicole willingly relented and gave her the kiss they were both aching for… until a sleepy Kat stirred enough to see that her Mama was there and called for her attention.

Chuckling softly, Waverly breathed a ragged plea against Nicole’s lips, “later?”

“Oh… for sure, baby.” Reluctantly letting her hands move away from the temptation that was her mate, Nicole leaned back against the counter for a moment, watching as Waverly went to great their daughters while she waited for her body to stop trembling.

Waverly was so beautiful and loving in every single way but Nicole felt sure she was more so when she was with their babies. She glowed from within as she cared for them, eliciting excitement and giggles from them all as they basked in her attention and love… even Dom who was more determined than her sister to cling on to sleep eventually lifted her head and arms long enough to demand to be picked up and held for a moment.

Catching Nicole staring at her, Waverly cocked an eyebrow her way. “Those pancakes won’t cook themselves, Nicole.” She grinned as Dom giggled in her arms. “Yeah, you tell her, baby.”

“Hey, no fair ganging up on me!” she gave them an exaggerated pouty look which just delighted them all even more. With the kitchen and her heart filled to overbrimming with their laughter, Nicole put the skillet back on the heat and put the kettle on ready to make a drink for Waverly and switched the coffee pot on for anyone that wanted some as she heard the sound of feet hitting the floor upstairs.

“I meant to ask, did you all sleep okay?” Nicole glanced over her shoulder and gave a little wiggle of her hips when she caught Waverly blatantly staring at her ass like she wanted to take a bite.

Waverly dragged her eyes up as Nicole’s chuckle broke through thoughts that were definitely dragging through the gutter and stuck her tongue out at Nicole’s knowing smirk. “I should be asking you that seeing as you slept on the couch,” she finally answered after Nicole had to repeat herself.

“I missed you,” Nicole responded softly. “Hey, it’s okay,” quickly crossing the room, she gently caressed Waverly’s cheek. “I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. It was my idea, remember? But I am always, _always_ , going to miss you when I don’t get to be your bonus blanket.”

Waverly nuzzled into the warmth of Nicole’s hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “I missed you too,” she whispered against her flesh. “And Wynonna snores like a constipated hippo.”

“I know,” Nicole laughed as she returned to the stove, “I could hear her all the way downstairs even with a pillow over my head.”

“I think it did Mama good though… not the snoring part,” she clarified distractedly as she watched Nicole’s no-nonsense style as she poured just the right amount of batter onto the sizzling skillet, spun around and poured boiling water into her favoured teapot and spun back around just in time to flip the pancakes. Glancing down, she smiled as she saw that Kat, Dom, Mel and Jas were all watching Nicole with rapt attention too.

“I’m sure it did,” Nicole smiled. “After so long without her family around her, she needed to reconnect. And what better than a wolf style, puppy pile, sleepover with her sister and daughters?”

“I can’t wait for us all to go running together. You know, Mama said she doesn’t even think she change even once in all the years she was gone.”

Nicole frowned at the thought. There had been times over the years when she had had to deny herself changing to try and hide what she was but she couldn’t imagine not changing at all… especially when the full moon was high and calling like a siren song.

Nimbly flipping pancakes onto a waiting plate, Nicole set it on the table before Waverly with a dramatic flourish and a kiss. And then she tried really hard not to wince as Waverly drowned the entire stack in an insane amount of syrup and butter.

“When she feels ready for it then… we’ll make sure it’s special for her. Maybe just friends and family if that’s what she wants and then she can add her song back into the pack where it belongs.”

“You big softy, Red!”

“Morning, Wynonna. Pancakes, French toast, or bacon?”

“Yes please!” Wynonna smirked as Nicole’s mouth snapped shut and she pursed her lips.

“Guess I asked for that,” Nicole grumbled good-naturedly as she fished another pan out of the cupboard for the bacon. “Coffee is ready if—“

“Black like my soul, Red.”

“You do know she’s my mate, not yours, right?”

“Well, she’s cute and all but… ew! The coffee tastes better when Haughtshot pours it though. I think it’s how she glowers at it gives it an extra bite.”

“Aww, Earp, you think I’m cute?” Nicole planted a noisy kiss in the top of her head just to hear her splutter in protest as she put a unicorn shaped mug emblazoned with rainbows in front of her.

“Get off me, Haughtass! And I will have you know when it comes to your coffee… I have _no_ shame.” Giving Nicole an exaggerated, saucy wink, Wynonna lifted the ridiculous mug to her lips and took a hearty and very noisy slurp.

“Manners, Wynonna.”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Do you need any help, Nicole?”

“I’m okay, Gus. Thank you,” Nicole smiled gratefully. “What would y’all like for breakfast?”

“She makes _amazeballs_ pancakes—”

“Not that there’s ever any syrup left once Waves gets done,” Wynonna nodded pointedly to the syrup flooding Waverly’s plate. “Her French toast is pretty dope too… don’t trust the bacon though,” she stage-whispered loudly, “it’s lying vegan bacon.”

“Never seems to stop you from sucking it down.” Proving her point, Nicole put a plate overflowing with pancakes, slices of French toast and bacon in front of Wynonna, and sure enough, the first thing she put in her mouth was a strip of vegan bacon.”

“Anything would be good for me, Nicole.” Gus gave Nicole’s shoulder a grateful pat and moved to get a drink for herself and Michelle while Nicole got back to work at the stove. It still felt somewhat surreal to see her sister again after so many years of not knowing if she was dead or alive. Either option had hurt to think about but for the longest time, she had felt sure she was dead as she knew there was no way she would leave without taking the girls with her away from danger.

She was back now though…

_She was back!_

But still with so many questions about where she had been for eighteen years hanging over her. The weight of them furrowing her brow moments after Gus had seen her waken and take in the sight of her grown daughters.

Michelle tried not to stare, or at least not make it too obvious that she was, as she watched as Nicole loomed… no, as she stepped closer to her Babygirl, Waverly, and ran her hand over her shoulder to gain her attention. She was trying but sometimes she instinctively saw Ward’s actions transposed over Nicole’s and that wasn’t fair as she could tell that this Alpha was soft in all the right ways, her protection gentle and restrained, caring.

Ward would have gripped her arm tightly though, not caressed lightly. And where Nicole leaned in to press her lips against Waverly’s temple in a loving kiss, Ward would have screamed at her. And Ward would have flooded the kitchen with his scent as a way to exhort his dominance… The scent from Nicole was much like her, gentle and lifting, wrapping around her like a hug of family… and it was made stronger by Waverly.

“I’ll take Mel and Jas upstairs and get them cleaned up before I take my shower.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Just for a couple of hours, baby,” Nicole assured her gently. “I want to check a few things at the station and have a word with Nedley and Shorty.”

“Would those words be about me?”

“I’m sure more than half of Purgatory already knows you’re back by now,” Nicole grimaced good-naturedly at the way small towns worked. “Nedley and Shorty are probably the best ones around town to ask about Juan Carlo though. Or maybe Bunny Loblaw.” Nicole grimaced as she thought about the woman that was in charge of records in the courthouse. Nicole could be patient with most people but that woman grated on everyone's nerves in all the wrong ways.

“No, anyone but Bun-Bun, Haught!” Wynonna’s eyes widened in horror.

“Juan Carlo didn’t hurt me, Nicole.”

“I know, and I believe you,” Nicole assured her despite the niggles of doubt she would be negligent to ignore. “But… this Juan Carlo… he’s our best bet right now of being able to trace where you’ve been and that might help you to remember more.”

“Maybe I don’t want to remember,” Michelle whispered. “What— what if I did something bad and I blocked it out?”

Crouching down, Nicole gently placed her hands upon Michelle’s where they clawed at her knees. Her touch stilled the restless, frantic movements she was making and had her wide, panic filled eyes meeting her steady gaze. “This right here, this is why you need to know what happened. I don’t know you… yet… But I know your daughters, the amazingly strong, brave and loving women that they are. I know that they took a look at me and didn’t rush to judgement unlike so many. They are _remarkable_ and when I look at you I see them in you. Trust me. Trust us. You’re safe. You’re home.”

“I missed so much of their lives—”

“You laid the foundation in them that helped shape them.”

“I always tried to think about what you would have wanted, what you would have done when I was caring for them, Michelle.” Mirroring Nicole’s position, Gus gently took over, giving Nicole a grateful smile as the young woman rose to her feet.

“I think— Yeah! I’m going to help Nicole with Melanie and Jasmin.”

“Oh, is _that_ what you’re calling it these days,” Wynonna teased as Waverly gazed after Nicole longingly.

“Just make sure Dom and Kat don’t wolf out and go on a rampage,” Waverly tossed over her shoulder as she raced across the living room and up the stairs after Nicole.

She found her in their bathroom busily attempting to wrangle the girls and strip off their clothes while they were just as determined to get as many sticky fingerprints on everything they could reach.

Waverly watched for a moment, her heart swelling even more for them all.

“How about we shower with them and save some time?” As she made the offer, Waverly started stripping off her own clothing, delighting in the darkening of Nicole’s eyes and the appreciative looks she was bestowing upon her as she gazed at every inch of skin Waverly revealed to her.

Stepping around her, brushing her hand across tiny heads that pressed up into her hand on contact, and around Nicole’s trim waist on the way, Waverly turned on the water in the massive, all singing, all dancing shower they had invested in after the other had been destroyed in the attack Bulshar had ordered on their home. Steam billowed up from the multi-headed beast, filling it with warmth before she could dial it down to a more kid-friendly temperature.

Scooping Mel off the floor as she streaked past, Waverly nuzzled gently into the crook of her neck and shoulder, eliciting squeals of joy while she lovingly endured sticky fingers tangling with her hair. Nicole’s hand came to rest gently between her shoulder blades, offering the promise of safety and security as they stepped into the shower together.

They didn’t linger beneath the spray as long as they liked when they were alone. Even if Nicole hadn’t decided to head into Purgatory, the girls obviously had things they wanted to do and a leisurely shower wasn’t something they had the patience for even at the best of times. They made it fun for them though, no tears, only laughter allowed in their bath and shower times as wiggling bodies were washed clean of sticky syrup under the guise of tickles and hugs.

Once they were done, Waverly dried and got them ready for their day while Nicole got ready for hers. As she had in the shower, Waverly felt the heat of Nicole’s eyes upon her… but it seemed only fair as she was doing more than her fair share of looking too. It was at moments like those when Waverly really couldn’t decide if she loved or hated Nicole’s uniform.

She hated that her wearing it meant that Nicole would be leaving. And like all her other clothes they got in the way of the stunning body she constantly ached to be in contact with. But, Waverly couldn’t deny that there was something about Nicole in a uniform that flipped a switch and had her wanting to pant and howl like a cartoon wolf.

Nicole had recently changed the look of the P.S.D. uniform. Still no khakis, which Waverly still mourned somewhat even if she appreciated how the darker pants flattered her form. The top was the main difference.

The darker top with the zipper that she had never let Nicole do up any further than where she felt it should remain was gone in favour of a more traditional shirt… which Waverly had told her in no uncertain terms that if she saw all the buttons fastened without a tie being the reason for it, she was going to cut the top three buttons off!

God though, that tie!

Waverly had never thought that a tie could do it for her but… Damn! On a man they were, ‘meh’, but the way one looked on Nicole was downright sinful and the first two times Nicole had tried it on, Waverly had dragged her into the nearest room by it to ravage her.

The next best thing about that shirt was it was so much more form fitting than the old style button up shirt she had first worn. Seriously, Waverly was surprised that the arrest rate in Purgatory hadn’t gone up with everyone throwing themselves at Nicole when they saw her.

And the cherry on top… button up shirts meant that when Nicole was nearing the end of the day and starting to relax, or embroiled in paperwork, she turned her sleeves up and exposed her forearms. Nicole at the end of a day of paperwork with her top buttons unfastened, sleeves rolled up and tie hanging loose around her neck was definitely a weakness for Waverly.

Nicole’s fingers froze upon the buttons of her shirt and glanced across the room. “Waves, you’re growling again.”

Letting out a snort to cover up the fact that yep, she had most definitely been growing, Waverly waved a hand dismissively and dragged Mel out before she could vanish completely under their bed.

Nicole chuckled at their antics as well as the becoming blush still riding high across Waverly’s cheeks.

“Whoa there!” quickly bending down, Nicole caught Jasmin up in her arms as she tried to climb up her leg. “Swear you girls are going to give your sisters a run for their money.”

“And us,” Waverly chuckled.

“I think that is pretty much a given, Waves,” Nicole laughed back as she tried to distract Jas and Mel from their determined attempts to wiggle out of their clothes while Waverly finished getting dressed.

The crunch of tyres upon the road caught Nicole’s ears as they were heading back down to the living room. The instinctive stiffening of her shoulders at the noise bled away as she finally heard a voice mumbling softly and realised who it was talking to themselves. “Sounds like a visitor for your ma, if she’s up to having guests.”

“Who is it?”

“Nedley.”

“Nedley? Deputy, Randy Nedley?”

“Well, it’s Mayor now, Mama.”

“Right, sorry, plum forgot you told me that last night,” Michelle finished more to herself than as a reply to Wynonna as she walked towards the window to look outside. “Randy Nedley. He got old, but at least his moustache filled out. Is the old fool talking to himself?”

“Probably,” Nicole admitted. She knew he was though, even with the car door muffling him, she could hear him trying to pluck up the courage to open the door, disbelief in his gruff voice as he halfway worked himself up to just drive away ‘cause there was no way the rumour he’d heard was true. “I better go talk to him before he gives himself a heart attack. Are you up for a visitor or should I send him away for now?”

“I-” Michelle heisted uncertainly. “No, she wasn’t sure she was ready. Wasn’t sure she ever would be. But her resolves strengthened as she saw his eyes lift hopefully and she remembered the quiet, comforting strength of the man that had been Ward’s Deputy. And all he had done for her. “Yes, I want to see him,” she stated firmly.

Michelle gripped the wall beside her, anchoring herself to the fabric of the building to calm her nerves and the eagerness building within her as she watched Nicole’s long stride taking her quickly to the vehicle as Nedley climbed from it. His weathered face showed his nervousness, as did his hands as they fiddled with the edges of the brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt he was wearing.

“Lord above, I see time hasn’t persuaded him to give those shirts up,” she chuckled tearfully.

Her eyes widened a little as Randy and Nicole embraced and hugged warmly. In all the years she had known him she could count on one hand and still have many of her fingers spare when it came to the people he allowed to hug him with such obvious mutual fondness.

“Are you sure that’s Randy Nedley?”

“Short version… he’s family. The long version… _That_ is all part of a very long story… one that is probably best told in bite-sized chunks,” Gus grimaced slightly. It was something she had lived through and she still struggled with just how much they had had to fight through. They had won and come out stronger for it though. As friends, as a community and most importantly, as a family.

**********

Nicole ran her hands over Nedley’s shoulders, smoothing out the invisible creased he’d complained she’d put in his favourite shirt in his usual gruff but soft tone. She could see the wary nervousness in his eyes as he glanced between her and the house.

“I- erm,” he cleared his throat and looked at the ground for a long second. “I heard a rumour when I got back from my morning walk.”

Which explained the shirt. Chrissy had recently put him on an exercise routine to try and combat the way he wiggled around his diet even more than usual now he was firmly entrenched behind his desk.

“I know it’s completely ridiculous—”

“It’s not. Not ridiculous that is. Not if the rumour was that Michelle Earp is back.” Keeping a close eye on him, Nicole filled him in on what had happened and answered all his questions as best as she could when most of the answers were all some form or another of, “I don’t know.”

Memories both fond and troubled shook Nedley as he caught a glimpse of Michelle still watching through the curtains. God! More than ever he felt like he had failed her for not going against Ward’s story and looking for her… for not believing the bruises and tears he’d seen instead of her shuddered mutterings that everything was okay.

“Sir,” Nicole gently placed a hand on his wrist, drawing his attention to his clenched fists. “Please, she wants to see you but she needs gentle right now.”

“You’re right of course,” he relaxed his hands and gently squeezed Nicole’s shoulder in thanks. “Michelle hasn’t got one mean bone in her body and just thinking about what that bastard of a so-called husband did to her…”

“Yeah,” Nicole nodded in understanding. Her need to protect went hand in hand with being an Alpha but they shared the part that went with being a cop and a decent human being. None of which were traits that Ward had shared.

Nicole gestured for him to head to the house and with shoulders moulding into a line of determination he strode forward only to grind to a halt as the front door opened and Michelle stepped out.

Nicole could only imagine what was going through both their minds right then but they both stood there frozen, their faces going through expressions of shock, disbelief, hope, pain… it was all too fast to take in.

It was Michelle that unstuck her feet first through even if every step looked like it was an effort in self-control not to just turn around and run but finally she was just a matter of feet away from him before she stopped again and stared at him intently.

Nedley felt the burn in his lungs that reminded him that breathing really was a thing he needed to be doing more of but he hardly dared in case Michelle upped and vanished again or he woke up and found it was all a dream. A fat tear quivering upon her lashes unstuck his tongue and he reached out gently, brushing it aside as he smiled gently and tried to fight back tears of his own.

“Oh, now then. None of that, you hear?”

His face had aged but his voice, even quivering with emotion as it was, was plucked straight out of almost every good memory that had softened the bad ones Ward had put upon her soul and body with his fists.

With a broken sob, Michelle launched herself into his arms and held on tight. “God, you got old!”

Randy chuckled wryly and held her closer. “Yes, yes I did. You managed to stay just as beautiful as always though. It’s okay,” he ran his hands up and down her back, his jaw tightening as he felt every bone of her spine sticking out in stark relief. He put all that aside though and focussed on supporting her just as he always had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love papa Nedley!!!!
> 
> AN - Just to clarify, for the purposes of this fic with Nedley being related to Nicole, he and Mama had and have a friendship only that is more like brother and sister.
> 
> AN 2 - I decided to add some extra Mel and Jas as before in Lone Wolf, the main baby focus was on Dom and Kat. Unfortunately I couldn't for the life of me remember if I added any descriptions on their looks other than their hair colour so... if I messed that up and I had... erm... let me know and, for now, go with the flow :)


	4. Chapter 4

“I’ve just got two more locations I want to check out and then I’ll be heading back to the station and calling it a day.”

“Which one are you at now, baby?”

“Hmm, number five on Jeremy’s list,” pressing the button on the phone, Nicole turned the camera around so that Waverly and Jeremy, who was leaning in over Waverly’s shoulder on the way back to his desk with her Transformers mug clutched in his hand, could see the ruins of the old church she was standing in the middle of. Not that there was much to see as the building had been reduced to a few piles of moss covered bricks and rotting timber and a barely standing wall.

“Wow. That’s—”

Glancing at the screen, Nicole smiled at Waverly’s grimace and wildly waving hand. “Yep,” she agreed. “Looks like there was a fire that burned what was left of the ruins down. And that happened quite a while ago too. Years by the look of it,” she added as a piece of wood crumbled away to ash and mould under the weight of an experimental prod of her toe.

“Creepy as hell out here but it can’t be the one that your Mama remembers. Not if it really was the last thing she remembered before Juan Carlo dropped her off.”

“She was pretty clear about it, Nicole. A white church standing in clearing with a house near it.”

“No house. No clearing… not any more anyway. Trees are too old and too close now. And I’m no tree expert but I don’t think they’re the kinds of trees that can grow this tall even if it was really a memory from when she was first taken.”

As she spoke, Nicole walked towards the nearest tree. Tilting back her head she stared up the thick, towering truck into the branches above. Her fingers traced across the bark, nails finding the grooves scored into it by moose, elk and wolves all marking their territory. The marks were old, not even the slightest trace of scent lingering upon them.

“God, I love when your eyes go like that!”

Nicole glanced back to the phone, her body tightening at the gravel within Waverly’s voice as she looked back at her hungrily, her own eyes shifting and bleeding over to a solid wolf state to match her own.

With every day their heat and rut were drawing closer, bringing with it an almost desperate need within Nicole to get answers for Michelle before they were indisposed by instincts that would leave them little room for anything other than each other and their all-consuming need to be together, as mates and to mate.

“I’m looking forward to- _it_.”

Nicole smirked slightly as Waverly’s gaze darted to the side where Jeremy was no doubt sitting at his desk. Usually, they wouldn’t censor their words too much, not around their friends. But Jeremy had always stumbled and spluttered around things that got too female related… Which had just served to encourage Wynonna to come up with more euphemisms for vagina than Nicole knew existed.

But even Wynonna had eased up on the usually relentless Jeremy teasing and had found a hitherto unknown level of sensitivity around him while he recovered from his recent breakup with Perry.

“Me too, baby. Very much looking forward to… _it_.” Nicole grinned as her exaggerated wink had Waverly giggling and biting her lip.

“Is it just me or does this one feel like it’s going to be a doozy?”

“Oh, for sure. Definite doozy vibes here too. Not sure if it’s just because I want to get this done before it hits so I’m feeling it more, or because of the usual reasons.”

“The usual reasons?”

“Before I met you I was pretty much able to get through my ruts without too much problem on my own. With you…”

Nicole left the rest unsaid, knowing by Waverly’s smile that she knew what she wasn’t saying.

Waverly in her typical thirst for knowledge had found a book on werewolves to devour and add to her collection. When she had read a passage to her on the authors take on ruts and heats, Nicole had thought it was a newly written with how romanticised it made them sound. But it was one of the oldest books Waverly had ever come across.

It had stuck with them both though as it had managed to put into words their own experiences with that time for them. How it was their love, their bond that heightened the experience.

Their heats and ruts were part of their biology. Some wolves, as she had, just rode it out. Others used it as an excuse to give go wild and give in to their aggression or seek out a temporary partner to scratch the itch. And for a bonded pair, their love increased the power of it and heightened the experience.

Nicole smiled softly just thinking about how much better her life had been since Waverly had charged into the clearing that night on her journey to a new life in Purgatory. It had taken Nicole only a little longer to admit to herself what Waverly had realised and accepted from that first meeting… the fact that they were meant to be together. They had gone through so much since then but no matter the hardship they had faced, Nicole could, and would, never regret a single day they were together.

With all the changes in her life, her ruts were just another part of it. She had gone from them lasting just a couple of days and being thankfully easy to take care of herself to lasting a week or longer where she was consumed only by the thought of being with Waverly, caring for her, satisfying her in every way.

Despite the almost animalistic nature of her ruts and Waverly’s heats, they weren’t animals and any werewolf that used them as an excuse to commit rape was lying as there was never one moment when they couldn’t stop if they wanted to. Never one moment when one couldn’t respect the boundaries of the other.

“I love you so much, Nicole,” Waverly husked softly into the camera.

“And I love you too, Waverly,” smiled back. “I better get this search done before I can’t,” raising her brows, she smirked as Waverly blushed prettily and pulled the phone closer at the meaning and need behind her words.

“Nicole?”

“Yes, baby?” Nicole frowned slightly at the suddenly serious tone in Waverly’s voice.

“Be careful, okay?”

“Always—”

“Ha, you’re never careful… I know that but, please? Something, someone, took Mama away from us for eighteen years…”

“Baby, nothing is going to come between us. Not for one moment. I won’t let it.”

Waverly knew it was an almost impossible promise to keep but she also knew that Nicole would do her best to try and keep it. And if there was one thing they had been good at, it was beating the odds stacked against them.

“You better not or I will have to come hunt you down.”

Nicole really hoped that Waverly hadn’t meant that to sound threatening as it just made her want to purr and rub up on Waverly… and then drag her off to bed for the foreseeable future.

Yep, this rut was going to kick her ass and strip away all good reason before it even started!

“Go. Do Sheriff things, and I’ll be waiting when you get home.”

“Can’t wait, baby.”

As she tucked her phone away after Waverly hung up, Nicole looked around the ruins one last time using all her senses to make sure there was nothing that seemed out of place. There was always a buzz that lingered around even the most desolate of churches, or simply places where gods were worshipped. As best as she could explain it, it was as though all the worship focused on one thing, changed the earth.

Good religions or places used by white witches left behind a lightness was welcoming and had plants flourishing. Whereas things like satanic rituals or dark magic left behind a stain on the earth that allowed nothing to grow and a darkness in the air that pushed good people and animals away.

This church, before whatever had happened to leave it empty, had been a mostly good place but she could feel a taint of darkness threading through it. Maybe it had been abandoned because people had simply stopped caring.

As Nicole walked back to the dirt road where her SUV was safely parked up, Nicole put a call into dispatch, letting them know that she was heading back to her vehicle and would radio in again when she was on route to the next location.

Very faintly in the background of the reply, she heard the unmistakable sound of Bill Lippencott bellowing at one of her Deputies… No doubt he had been caught doing something else strange with his truck. So far that summer they had had to remind him that no, he could not convert it into a mobile swimming pool and filling it with ice for people to consume was not sanitary.

“I hate to ask but, what’s Bill done now?”

“Caught handing out flyers for a mobile disco.”

“Mobile as in—”

“He was hanging a disco ball and lights on the bed of his truck when J.D. went to talk to him.”

“Oh, sweet lord!”

Shaking her head, Nicole climbed into her SUV and started the engine so the AC could take some of the heat out while she checked on the print-offs Jeremy had thrust into her hands earlier after she had insisted that just marking them on something like Google Maps was not a good idea.

No matter what he and Waverly said, it would never replace a printed map. They might look fancy but not even the fancy car with the camera on had been on most of the back roads that were hiding around the Ghost River County, and the battery didn’t die on a printed map and leave you with nothing to go on.

As she looked at the list of abandoned churches, each one crossed off with an increasingly frustrated line from her pen that had threatened to punch a hole through her clipboard, Nicole ran through what little they had been able to piece together from Michelle’s fractured memories about the eighteen years she had been missing.

Apart from Ward’s attack on her, Michelle had remembered flashes of being in a truck, a house, and an white, abandoned church that had been next to the house.

The one thing Michelle was very insistent upon, was that Juan Carlo had been her friend. He’d saved her. He’d saved others… Though what had happened to those _others_ , she didn’t know. And suggesting that Juan Carlo intentions hadn’t been as pure as Michelle thought just led to her getting frustrated and angry.

Whoever Juan Carlo was, and they still didn’t know as there were no records of anyone of that name, Nicole didn’t think he was a ‘good’ man at all. Even if he had saved Michelle’s life, he had failed to take her to a hospital or any kind of authorities for eighteen years. And her blind faith in him led Nicole to believe that she had been gaslighted into believing that he knew what was best for her.

Two churches left to check.

Nicole tapped a finger against the list and they were the two that Jeremy had felt were the least likely of the options. After that, she would have to go outside of her official jurisdiction as Sheriff. And that meant that unless she took the time off work or did the searching after hours, she would have to at least announce herself to the local L.E.O.’s whose jurisdiction she was trampling on and make it official so she didn’t ruffle any feathers and Michelle was still adamant that there was nothing to investigate.

Tossing the list aside, Nicole let the station know she was on the move and set the vehicle in motion.

The sound of the engine and the whirr of the AC working hard in the summer heat, merged with the sound of the tyres on the asphalt into a background buzz of mind-numbing, droning, white noise that made Nicole itch to just shed her skin and run through the trees that bordered the edge of the road on one side, their branches arching over like they were trying to create a bridge over the land stolen from them by man.

The other side of the road was a barren desert in comparison. Sparse grass and tall weeds for several hundred yards before the land simply dropped away, plunging down in a vertical drop to the river that ran below and the stunning view of the mountains in the distance.

The only other thing on that side was an endless supply of dust that spat at vehicles when the wind turned. You could always tell in town when a vehicle had been down that road as they came in wearing a thick layer of dust that coated just one side.

It was so bad that further on… which was unfortunately where she was heading… had been abandoned by everything with a lick of sense. Leaving the forest and the dust to wage a quiet war over possession of the land.

Just the section closer to town that was used had the car wash on the edge of town doing a roaring trade. Nicole was thankful that there wasn’t a lick of a breeze blowing right then to stir up the extra dust, as Nedley in his capacity as Mayor had told them they would have to have to do it themselves ‘cause he wasn’t increasing their budget for something so frivolous as how the vehicles looked.

Then in the next breath, he had reminded them that, as members of the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, they had a status and position in the community to uphold and looks were an important part of that so that the good people of Purgatory would take them seriously. Which they were never going to do if the local youth, and the drunks pouring out of the bars each night, could draw penises in the dust on their cars!

Wynonna was convinced that Nedley was either just spreading the pain or trying to drive her insane to get his old job as Sheriff back so he could avoid having to deal with Judge Andras and the other members of the local council, and specifically Bunny Loblaw who found a way to be on everyone’s case even though it wasn’t in her job description.

Nicole didn’t mind the extra job of cleaning her SUV though. It was a strangely soothing job and she usually ended up with Dom and Kat helping in their own way… which was not at all, but it was fun to see them trying until they inevitably got bored and wanted to play in the mud. Waverly didn’t seem to find it at all relaxing though. Especially not when the weather allowed for Nicole to wear the tightest shorts and skimpiest of tops she could find.

Twenty miles gone, twenty more to go before she needed to look out for the turning that would… or should… lead to the next church, Nicole turned on some music to keep her company. She barely even got time to tap her fingers upon the steering wheel once before the vehicle beneath her simply died.

“Oh, motherfucker!”

Turning the wheel, Nicole let the momentum help pull the vehicle over to the side of the road away from any traffic. Not that she had seen more than a rabbit on the road looking startled to see her since she had left the ruins of the last church.

Without the sound of the engine, the crunch of dirt beneath the tyres was abnormally loud as Nicole applied the brakes. A twist of the key in the ignition didn’t even produce a sound like the engine was even trying to turn over. Nicole felt sure she should know that meant something but the simple truth was, she didn’t.

She could change a tyre and knew how to check the pressures and levels of everything that needed checking but past that… car mechanics had never really been her thing and with how computerised everything was in them, Jeremy probably stood a better chance of being able to work out what was wrong by plugging in his iPhone.

Maybe there was even an app for it?

Nicole tried turning the engine again, hoping that somehow a minutes rest might have changed its mind. But it was still dead… as was her radio and, she quickly found out with a sense of building panic, her phone.

Everything was dead!

The distance back to town was no problem. She could change and run back easily. No matter what she did though, Nicole knew there would be a hell of a lot of ribbing for killing yet another vehicle. And even though she hadn’t crashed or totalled it, she knew she would have to endure Wynonna’s smirk as she turned the number back to zero on the sign she had put up numbering the days since her last vehicular homicide.

There was nothing about what was going on that felt natural though. Not with how it had killed her phone too.

Reaching under the dash, Nicole popped the hood, checked that her sidearm was loaded and secure on her belt, and climbed out of her SUV. Her booted feet crunched in the dirt, sending up a cloud of dust that climbed up her legs.

Looking around as she went through the ruse of looking under the hood, Nicole pierced the dark veil between the trees on the other side of the highway with all her senses for anything out of place before turning her attention to the more open land she was pulled over on. She had no idea what it would take to kill an engine and everything electrical like that, but she couldn’t see or sense anything out of place. And really, why pick that abandoned bit of road?

The road was straight for miles and miles in either direction so there were no corners, laybys, bushes or boulders bug enough to hide a vehicle. And that rabbit she had seen could attest to the fact that hardly anyone drove that far.

Turning her attention to what lay beneath the hood, Nicole looked at it blankly, kind of hoping that she might find a sign somewhere in the confusing tangle of wires and pipes that told her what to do… or even something that looked out of place with ‘evil engine killer, press here to turn off’ on it.

Nicole’s hand whipped down to her weapon, her fingers closing around the grip, as she heard the hollow, metallic sound of a vehicle door opening somewhere behind her own. She drew her sidearm as she straightened up and looked carefully around the edge of her SUV.

Yeah, she was pissed off by what had happened and battling rising emotions because of her impending rut, but there was no way in _hell_ she would have missed the sound of a truck on that lonely stretch of road to the point where it could have pulled up right on her like that.

Even more worrying than that, was the small fact that it was the same mechanics truck that had dropped Michelle of at their home.

Nicole scented the air cautiously, her eyes narrowing into slits at the lack of scent. There was nothing. No scent of rubber, metal, fuel… none of the many scents that went with all vehicles. And also no scent even as the man stepped out of it, the sun and the truck door casting his face into shadow.

She stepped forward, her gun drawn, her body turned to present less of a target just in case. Even though a part of her was aware that it was a confrontational position to be taking she couldn’t stop herself and wasn’t sure she would have even without the rut.

Even with the shadows falling from the brim of his worn cap across heavily lined, weather and age-worn face, Nicole saw the shift in his gaze and the minute stutter in his stride as he saw the gun in her hand.

“Who are you?”

“Just a simple mechanic, Sheriff. I was just passin’ by and saw you were having some trouble and thought I would offer my services, but seeing as you don’t need my help I guess I’ll be on my way?”

“I didn’t hear you pull up.”

“I keep my truck well maintained and maybe the wind was blowing and prevented you from hearing or smelling my approach.”

The ‘shucks ma’am’ thing he had going on didn’t fool Nicole one bit even before his words had let her know that he knew just who and what she was. Not that it was a secret any more but the way he had said it had felt like a deliberate attempt to make her not trust what was a fundamental part of herself.

“Let me take a look see, maybe I can get you back on the road to where you need to be, hmm?”

Nicole blinked slowly, feeling like she was coming out of a daze as Juan Carlo suddenly went from being halfway between their vehicles to being bent over looking at the engine.

“Never mind who, _what_ are you?” Nicole mumbled the question more to herself than anything but she saw the smirk lifting the corner of his mouth like she had said something interesting.

“I’m just a good Samaritan. Getting people on the right road.”

“Was that what you were doing for Michelle Earp, getting her on the right road?”

“That’s a mighty pretty sight, don’t you think, Sheriff? There’s something special about a place of worship, especially when it’s bathed in the light of God.”

“What?” Nicole glanced up just for a moment, following the nod of his head up through the trees to where a white church sat at the top of the rise.

Impossible!

She had scoured every map of the area and that was not on any of them!

A moment that was all it took. Nicole whipped her head back around as questions and demands flew to her mouth ready to be voiced.

But he was gone!

Juan Carlo…

His truck…

Gone!

“Motherfucker!”

Sagging back against the side of her SUV, Nicole looked back up at the church to make sure that hadn’t vanished too but it was still there, shining like a jewel in the summer sun.

“Holy! Shit! Fuck!” Nicole’s feet nearly shot over her head as her SUV suddenly roared to life behind her. The engine purring away eagerly as the gravelly voice of a country singer crooning about forgotten souls, rotted flesh and dead man's bones, poured ominously out of the speaker.

“Bad timing, really bad timing,” Nicole grumbled at the singer as she climbed back behind the wheel. With the jab of her finger, Nicole turned off the music before anything else happened to have her heart pounding any more than it already was.

Nicole tried to call in her position but, while her vehicle and ominous music were working, her radio was still dead and her phone seemed to be taking too much delight in letting her know that there was no service.

Huffing out a sigh, Nicole pulled back onto the road and drove slowly, keeping the church in sight and a careful eye out for any kind of way up to it. Even going slowly, she nearly drove past a break in the trees and had to back up a little before turning down the rutted path through the trees.

The church was just as beautifully lit, maybe even more so with the relief she felt as she finally made it through the trees and it, and the small house standing a little away from it, came into view.

It was just how Michelle had described it… maybe looking a hell of a lot less abandoned that Nicole had thought but even if there were any doubts about that, the sight of Juan Carlo standing on the small porch of the house watching her pull up erased them all.

“Care to join me for a drink of coffee, Sheriff?”

“I should arrest your ass and drag you back to the station.”

He chuckled softly, not in the least put out by the glower in the young Sheriffs eyes or the gravelly rumble in her voice as she marched towards him. “I know my coffee isn’t the best, but surely you should try it first before deciding it’s worth throwing me in jail?”

“If you don’t answer some questions—”

“I will answer what I can. What I can might not be as much as you would like however.”

“You like talking in riddles, don’t you?”

“Believe me… Not especially.” Gesturing to one of the old wooden seats on the porch, he waited until she reluctantly lowered herself into it before taking a seat for himself and pouring her a coffee from the battered pot into an equally battered mug that he nudged across the table towards her.

“Then why?” Nicole huffed as he stayed stubbornly silent and sipped his coffee, his heavily grey-whiskered cheeks creased with the smile he hid behind his mug. “Are you not going to ask how Michelle is?”

“I would assume, seein’ as she is back with her family, that she would be okay. Is that not the case?”

“She is. But both Michelle and her family would really like to know where she was for the past eighteen years.”

“From what I have heard around town, where she was is not as important as where she was not.”

“What, not with her kids? Not watching them grow up? Not being a part of their lives?!” Nicole’s fingers dug into the arms of the chair, splintering the wood beneath her tight grip.

“No, Sheriff. Not being beaten into an early grave by Ward Earp.”

The fight left Nicole in a rush at the truth in his words. Because, yes, if she hadn’t been gone, Michelle would more than likely have died at Ward’s hands. Picking up the mug of coffee, Nicole took a careful sip of the bitter liquid. “You care for her,” it was a statement of fact, not a question as she could see it clearly in his time-worn eyes.

“Every person that knows Michelle comes to love her… apart from Ward. Ward didn’t deserve Michelle. Nor did he deserve those girls.”

“You took her—”

“I did no such thing. I only nursed her back to health when she had been left for dead—”

“Why didn’t you return her once Ward was dead or go for them so they could be with their Mama?”

For the longest time, Nicole thought he wasn’t even going to answer as he just sat there looking up at the sky as though waiting for an answer. Whatever he was pondering on, he seemed to reach a conclusion of sorts as he nodded his head and turned his attention to her again.

“The thing is, Nicole… What I am… What I do… I am unable to interfere,” he held up a hand before she could speak. “When I found Michelle, she was outside of normal rules, no longer a player in this game you call life.”

“You- you’re saying she was dead?”

“I interfered more than I should have then. Returning her at that time or taking any of the children would have caused irreparable damage.”

“What are you?”

“A friend.”

“If returning her then was interfering… why is now any different? What’s changed?”

“In the eyes of some it’s not and I am sure to be punished for it. But, I am so very tired, Nicole and I need your help.”

“Help for wha- Holy shit!” Nicole scrambled from the chair, backing up as Juan Carlo's eyes shone with a fierce, blinding, white light. He stood up, all the age peeling from his bones with eyes step as he closed the gap between them until he stood tall and proud, snowy white wings unfurling from his back, his whole body glowing golden as he reached for her.

His hands cupped her face, his fingers digging into her jaw and the base of her skull with a grip that refused to be broken as tendrils of the light flowed towards her, probing at her mouth, nose and eyes, pouring into her body until all Nicole could see was white and all she could hear were her own screams and his voice reverberating with power as images started to flash across her mind.

_“You must help them, Nicole!”_

_“Nicole…!”_

_“… Nicole!”_

“Nicole!”

Nicole jerked upright and jerked again as her hand inadvertently knocked against the horn in her rush to get away from the hands reaching for her face.

“Nicole! Baby, it’s me! You’re okay!”

“Waves?”

She slumped into her gentle touch, eyes closing as she tried to hold onto the memory of something that seemed determined to slip from her grasp.

“Wha- what’s going on?”

“Do you know where you are?

“I—” she shook her head and winced as the motion made it hurt. Her hands were stilled as she tried to reach for the pain.

“You took a bit of a knock,” Waverly explained gently.

Nicole turned the rear-view mirror, taking in the blood smeared across her forehead from her hairline. She probed the area with slightly shaky fingers but while the area was tender to the touch, the cut that must have been there was already healed.

“You never reported in again and—” Waverly sucked in a shuddering breath, searching for the strength to carry on. “I couldn’t feel you for a while so we came looking for you.”

Nicole could see who the ‘we’ was as she looked out through the windscreen and took in Wynonna, Jeremy, J.D. and Davidson all standing around the crumpled front of her SUV where it was wrapped around a tree.

Crumpled!?

What the hell?

“Oh, motherfucker!”

“What happened, baby?”

“I— There was— He— I can’t remember.” Groaning, Nicole let Waverly help her from her poor abused SUV to check out the damage. “Great, Nedley is going to cut our budget again for sure!”

“It’s not so bad, Haught-to-Trot. Bit of duct tape and it’ll be good to go!”

Nicole had to admire Wynonna’s enthusiasm and trust in duct tape but she wasn’t too keen on the clatter that came as Wynonna put her booted foot on the bumper and it crashed to the ground and rolled back and forth.

“Okay,” Wynonna relented, wincing as Nicole cursed and groaned again. “Maybe a lot of duct tape.”

Nicole wiped a hand down her face, desperately wishing she was back home. Maybe then she could relax and remember what had happened to her.

And just who the ‘them’ was she had to help? The thought was fleeting, leaving behind a sense of urgency but she wasn’t sure what for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nicole's swearing this chapter brought to you by Kat in this adorable BTS vid


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muses decided to be wicked and derailed my plans resulting in a early and shorter than I would like to put out chapter.
> 
> Oh well... ENJOY!

A soft, fitful whimper tugged and pulled Waverly from her sleep. Her brow creasing in confusion, she lay perfectly still for a moment, blinking into the darkness and tramping down on the waves of sleep and the warmth surrounding that threatened to pull her back under her as she tried to work out just what had woken her when even though she could feel the night poised to give over to the sun it was still dark outside their bedroom window.

It was too early for the girls to be stirring, not on their usual schedule at all… especially not for Kat and Dom after another day of spontaneous changes had worn every last one of them out trying to keep up with them.

Another whimper from beside her, this time accompanied by a restless twitch of limbs had her reaching out, closing the gap that so rarely lay between them. Her hand found the warm expanse of Nicole’s shoulders and back and covered it with gentle, soothing touches. Nicole’s muscles twitched and rippled beneath her touch and Waverly knew that if her face wasn’t turned away, she would be able to see the furrows on her brow. Slowly but surely, she started to relax and settled under her caress, slipping once more towards a more gentle and welcoming sleep.

Scooting closer until she was pressed against her side, the warmth of her seeping deep into her body Waverly pressed soft kisses to Nicole’s shoulder and the top of her arm and whispered against her flesh. “Shhh, it's okay, baby. I got you.”

Her words, even though whispered so softly, stirred Nicole. Her body turned towards her, gravitating even closer as her body and arms wrapped her up into a secure embrace. With what could only be described as a happy murmur, Nicole’s head nuzzled against her, her breath hot and moist as it puffed out against Waverly’s collarbone.

Waverly kept stroking the length of Nicole’s back and shoulders, losing herself in the soothing motion while she watched over the woman she loved. Waverly’s eyes adjusted easily to the darkness of the room. Nicole’s skin glowed ethereally in the pale silvery light even as her hair darkened beneath it to an almost inky blackness where it spilled around her face and ticked across Waverly’s breasts with every rise and fall of her breathing.

She could feel it all so keenly. Every delicate strand of Nicole’s hair slithering and lashing at her skin. The warmth of her breath teasing and stroking down across her breast to pebble the bud of her nipple. She felt it all reaching deeper within her than it had a right to, stirring up the edges of her heat until beads of sweat broke out across her brow, urging her to wake Nicole.

But, with only the quietest of frustrated growls at herself, Waverly stomped down on the need.

She was no mindless beast at the mercy her biology… though lord knows, she was looking forward to when they could both give in to it. Right then though, she was more concerned about Nicole and everything else could wait.

What had happened to her three days before when she had been out looking at the abandoned churches just didn’t make any sense. While a part of Waverly was aware that probably any kind of knock, even the lightest of them, could possibly lead to memory loss this one just didn’t seem natural. Even if she hadn’t already felt that way, Clarke’s confused look as she had checked out Nicole for them had all but confirmed it even before Nicole had been plagued by nightmares every night since.

Sometimes she awoke looking like she was on the verge of breaking through whatever was keeping her from her memories every time she tried to give voice to her thoughts it would slip away quicker than a wisp of smoke in a hurricane and she would be left with only a feeling that there was something she had to do… she had to help.

That was all Nicole could ever come up with.

She had to help.

But the, what and who, eluded her.

The nudge and brush of nose and lips searching across her throat broke Waverly out of her thoughts and kicked her stirred up heat into a coiling need that spread across her abdomen, gathering low down between her thighs as Nicole’s body shifted against her and her mouth, teeth and tongue latched on to her mating bite and wreaked havoc with any good intentions she had in a split second.

Despite the flames that Nicole was fanning so expertly and unintentionally in her sleep, Waverly remained resolutely determined to hold strong and just be a source of comfort. Yeah! She was totally not going to get off on the subtle thrust and grind of Nicole’s hips, the sharp nip of teeth against her throat of the way her strong hand was sliding with intent along her thigh, the tips of her fingers easing up under the edge of her skimpy sleep shorts, pushing the fabric along with them as she teased along the delicate flesh where the curve of her ass met the tops of her legs.

_Wait just a gosh darn minute!_

Feeling as well as hearing a dark, knowing chuckle against her skin as Nicole shifted and started trailing open-mouthed kisses along the curve of her breast where it was exposed by the cut of her top and some very sneaky working of Nicole’s fingers easing the fabric out of her way.

Waverly tangled her fingers in Nicole’s hair and pulled, managing only to ease her head up just enough to finally see that Nicole’s eyes as she refused to remove her mouth from where it lay. It was enough for her to see that her eyes were very much open and alert. And very much blown wide by the darkness of the room but mostly with the desire Waverly could see and feel in her.

And then Waverly couldn’t think enough to even think about scolding Nicole for her teasing as she opened her mouth and Waverly’s mind was derailed from the tracks of good intentions by the wet heat of Nicole’s mouth enveloping the bud of her nipple.

Waverly could hear the whimpers and mewls falling unbidden from her mouth, pulled easily from her by the soft, insistent working of Nicole’s mouth. The press of her teeth, holding her right on the fine line where pain and pleasure merged had her fingers tightening in Nicole’s hair in indecision briefly before pulling her closer, urging her to take more of her in. The flick and swirl of her tongue drew her back off the bed and set Waverly’s body writhing, seeking out more. Nicole moved back and forth between her breasts, lavishing attention to both equally, her hands creating their own torment upon them.

Somewhere along the way the clothes they had gone to bed in vanished. Waverly couldn’t even say who had done the removing. All she knew was the exquisite feel of skin upon skin as Nicole settled between her thighs, her body gleaming as she rose up above her.

Waverly’s hands danced over the pale perfection of the goddess hovering above her. She delighted in the play of firm muscles beneath the softness of her skin and the twitch of them against her palms as she swept them up over Nicole’s womanly curves until her fingers found their familiar home within the softness of the hair at Nicole’s nape.

The look in Nicole’s eyes was hot and hungry in the darkness, the edge of her rut had her Alpha straining at the leash of her control. Waverly could see it, the snap of bared teeth and the howl upon her lips as she stalked her prey.

As she stalked her.

Claimed her.

Took her.

It had Waverly wanting to tilt her head back and offer up her throat in submission. But she knew that Nicole wouldn’t want that right then, not truly.

And neither did Waverly!

Using her grip, Waverly pulled Nicole’s head down towards her, forcing her to give up the high ground as she rose up, sealing their mouths together in a deeply hungry and passionate kiss that tore moans from them both as they licked into each other’s mouths.

Pushing on her shoulder, twisting her hips just right… Waverly drew back and smiled down as Nicole gazed back up at her and blinked as she found their positions reversed. She strained up against her, seeking out her mouth again but Waverly pushed her back to the mattress with a hand pressed against her. Her brown eyes flashed briefly in the light of the moon, her wolf protesting against control being snatched away but she made no protest, physical or verbal, even when Waverly cupped her jaw and tilted her head to expose the line of her throat to her gaze and her lips.

“Is this- oh god- is this okay?” she whispered huskily, her lips hovering just above Nicole’s fragrant skin. Nicole’s hands were lighting trails of desire through her body as they moved along the backs of her thighs and palmed her ass, squeezing and pulling her into the cradle of her thighs but still, Waverly needed to be sure she was okay with everything. After all, as she had found out from Nicole, consent was sexy.

“Very, _very_ , okay,” Nicole quickly assured her. She bit her lip, holding back a giggle as Waverly suddenly sat upright, all the possibilities she was thinking about flashed across her eyes making her look like a kid in a candy store.

Nicole’s breath caught in a gasp as Waverly flashed a thoroughly wicked smile at her, tossed her hair over her shoulder and swooped back down to her throat. Her blunt nails scraped along her jaw as she held her ‘captive’. The tease of her teeth and the hungry, open-mouthed kisses that ravished her skin had Nicole whimpering in delight. The brush of Waverly’s nipples against her own was replaced by a hand that, along with Waverly’s mouth as she worked her way down, had noises crawling out of Nicole’s mouth that she couldn’t even put a name too.

Waverly loved it more than anything when Nicole let herself go and became vocal. The rising volume of her soft cries and gasps had her own desire rising, setting her body aching and writhing as she tracked down more of those sound, dragging them out of Nicole.

Glancing up over the length of Nicole’s body splayed out before her, Waverly moaned in delight at the sight. Stopping only long enough to tie her hair back, she murmured husky promises and words of love across Nicole’s abdomen. Beneath her lips and searching fingers, she could feel the twin swellings hidden beneath the surface when she pressed hard enough and heat shot through her, pooling and dripping from between her thighs.

“Waves, please—”

Evading Nicole’s hand as it brushed across her head, Waverly smirked at her soft growl of frustration as she avoided where Nicole wanted her to go and pressed kisses and stinging bites along the inside of her thigh. She couldn’t deny her for long though, not when she wanted it so badly herself.

Licking her lips, Waverly pinned Nicole’s hips to the bed, bracing an arm across her as she tried to buck up to meet her mouth. “Keep still, baby,” she nipped at the top of Nicole’s thigh in warning, soothing the small sting with a swipe of her tongue that had Nicole’s breath catching, her body growing still in anticipation.

Almost overcome by desire, Waverly rested her forehead against Nicole’s thigh. God, she was so beautiful like that, her body poised, quivering, wanton and waiting. The evidence of her arousal laid bare in every line of her body, the scent of it so heavy in the air that Waverly could taste it. And god! She wanted to taste it!

The taste of her exploded upon Waverly’s searching tongue. Coating her mouth and filling her as she lapped and sucked hungrily. Above her, Nicole’s gasped and moaned thickly, her body writhing an arching up off the bed as she reached her the covers, the headboard, her own body, anything she could find to anchor herself before tangling up in Waverly’s hair to urge her closer.

Grabbing her by her hips, Waverly pulled her closer and spread her thighs wider for better access as she devoured everything Nicole had to give her. Every gasp and moan, every cry of pleasure. Waverly wanted it all and she pursued them relentlessly, greedily following the signs laid out by Nicole’s body until she exploded. Her body bowed up tightly, her core clenching and releasing under the force of her release.

And Waverly swallowed it all. Every sight and sound, every drop she could wring out of her until finally, Nicole grew lax beneath her, her body tightening and twitching as she was finally forced to tap out when her body grew too sensitive.

Nicole released a shaky chuckle as Waverly crawled up the bed towards her with a thoroughly satisfied grin on her face as she wiped her mouth and chin clean and sucked on her fingers. Pulling her closer, Nicole ran the tip of her tongue over Waverly’s lips as they kissed. She moaned at the taste of her own arousal that coated her lips, their kiss turning tongue and the inside of her mouth and the even sweeter taste beneath that was all Waverly.

Waverly nuzzled against her as they parted far enough to take some much-needed breaths. Reaching up, she pushed Nicole’s hair back off her forehead and grinned at the slightly crooked, sleepy smirk on Nicole’s face.

“Hey.”

“Hey, baby.”

Waverly chuckled against Nicole’s shoulder as the remnants of her southern drawl thickened and purred out with her exhaustion. She quickly found she had overestimated Nicole’s tiredness though as Nicole switched their positions in a move so fast and smooth that Waverly barely had time to let out a startled yip before she was blinking up at Nicole’s smirking face.

“I thought you were tired?”

“I’m hungry,” she purred out throatily, raking her eyes and hands down the stunningly beautiful lines of Waverly’s body, letting her know with a lick of her lips and a press of her thigh between hers, just what she was hungry for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, wonder if I should have warned everyone it might be a little bit NSFW?


	6. Chapter 6

“I’m sorry, Bunny… ‘Fraid we’ll have to discuss this some other time. Gotta go! Dead body came in that needs looking at in the morgue before it stinks the place up any more!”

Nicole waved her hand in front of her nose as though to waft away a bad smell. Even though there was nothing to smell, nothing the very human nose of Bunny Loblaw would ever pick up anyway, she drew away as though a skunk had sprayed right under her nose.

“Agent Chetri, if you would come with me.”

“Nicole… there is no body in the morgue,” Jeremy whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He bit back a yelp as Nicole grabbed him by the shoulder of his lab coat and practically frogmarched him out of the break room where Bunny had cornered them… well, Nicole. He’d just had the misfortune to be getting a coffee when the xenophobic, homophobic and god knows what else kind of phobic woman, had stormed in.

Jeremy wasn’t all that sure if Nicole was trying to protect him from Bunny or just making sure he didn’t blurt anything out to her, but her fingers stayed locked so tightly on his lab coat that he heard the stitching start to pop under the strain as she towed him down the corridor in the direction of the morgue entrance. It was his favourite lab coat too… the one with the coffee-stain-of-triumph™ on the front of it near the breast pocket, and another stain further down that he had never managed to work out if it was pasta sauce or blood.

Rosita said blood. He was hoping for sauce.

“Jeremy, shush! If I have to be around Bunny Loblaw just one more minute there _will_ be a body taking up a drawer down in the morgue. And if _you_ are the one that causes me to be near her, you might just end up in the drawer next to hers!”

There was a time when words like that from Nicole would have had Jeremy fearing that he was about to put a different kind of stain, the wet variety, down his pants leg… Who was he kidding? There were still moments where she still managed to terrify him even though he had come to know her and love her like a sister… A sometimes scary sister than could turn into a wolf that could rip him in half with no trouble at all!

Right then though, her eyes had gone comically wide and as big as saucers as she looked back over his shoulder. Hiding a snigger behind tightly pressed lips, he followed her through the door and studiously avoided the glower Bunny was tossing their way as it closed behind them.

His feet froze for a moment in indecision, his back becoming one with the door, as he listened to Nicole’s boots echo as she stomped down the stair with an almost feral growl and a few choice cuss words leaving her mouth. Coming into work when she was supposed to be ‘dealing’ with her rut was probably not her smartest decision but he wasn’t stupid enough to point that out.

Though…

It was tempting to do so just so… maybe she would knock his ass out and he wouldn’t have to go down the stairs. He’d never had a fear of morgues before… Dead bodies, while unpleasant, had just become a part of his daily life when he had been stuck working for the less savoury side of Black Badge under Moody.

But…

That was before he’d been alone in the B.B.D. offices late one night trying to finish up an experiment. Before he had realised, it was three in the morning and he was alone in the station. Vaguely he could remember agreeing to keep an eye on the radio while the officer on duty at the station that night went to check on a report on some kind of disturbance or suspicious activity in the alley next to the shop Jolene had used.

He remembered the time clearly as he had been looking at his iPhone, desperately hoping to see some kind of a message from Perry, the clock on the display had changed to the hour just as he’d seen, or swore he’d seen, a figure moving past the opaque glass in the door. It was all hunched over, moaning and shuffling as it had dragged something behind it while heading in the direction of the morgue.

That late at night it was procedure to lock the doors so that no one could get in without buzzing first. So, fearing that one of the officers had returned injured and not contemplating the possibility that it was an intruder, Jeremy had heft the sanctuary of the B.B.D. offices to offer assistance.

Only, when he had got down there, the morgue had literally been as quiet as the grave with only the _tick_ of the lights and the refrigeration units to break the silence. There was no one there and all the doors were locked up tight in the morgue and all around the building.

Since then, and after an unfortunate decision to watch some questionable movies with Rosita while Perry had been out of town again, he was left with an unshakable fear that the place was haunted.

“Well?”

“Coming!” Sucking in a breath, Jeremy straightened his shoulders and hitched up his actual pants as well as his metaphorical big-boy ones and followed Nicole before her arched brow could climb any higher and vanish into her hairline.

The morgue was empty of the living, and the dead. The drawers and cold metal tables were blessedly empty and there was no one in attendance. With no bodies to examine the mortician was doing shifts at the hospital as a general practitioner… hopefully not trying to drum up business for his other job.

“So what’s the plan? Hang out for five and sneak out the back door?”

“You don’t want to do that, son.”

Jeremy yelped out loud, his feet leaving the floor as a scarred hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Sheriff- Mayor! Mayor-Sheriff! Heart attack!” he wheezed, holding up a finger to ward off any attempt at communication while he tried to learn how to breathe again.

“Son, you really need to take up yoga or something to help with those nerves. Or watch _Ru Paul’s Drag Race_ , that works for me.”

“Ru Paul?” Jeremy blinked up owlishly as he struggled to reconcile the two conflicting images in his head of the gruff Mayor and Ru Paul mixing.

“Yes son, time to get with the program if you’re not watching it.”

“Chrissy got you into it at last, huh?” Nicole chuckled.

“Yes,” he admitted. “She’s been in touch with an old friend of hers from school who put her on to it. Robin Jett, fine boy. He and Chrissy went out a couple of times but it didn’t work out. He’s coming back to Purgatory to help look after his Pa. Anyway, they Facetime while watching that and I got suckered in.”

Jeremy shook his head, still trying to catch up with the whole breathing thing. While he did though, he couldn’t help but realise that he had no idea where Nedley had appeared from to startle him so much. Sure, he wasn’t as trained as a B.B.D. field agent and he didn’t have the amazingly acute senses that Wolves did, but he’d looked and there was no one there.

“Sir, where did you just come from?”

“Okay, just so long as you don’t let on to anyone else…”

“I promise sir! I swear on my limited edition life-size cutouts of Legolas, I won’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t want your lego, son. I still have nightmares about standing on that damn stuff.” He winked at Nicole as Jeremy blinked at him in confusion as he pretended to let the reference fly over his head. “Come on. It’s not that much of a secret anyway. Nicole, would you mind?”

Jeremy watched in confusion as Nicole walked across the room to where some open-backed shelving was standing and vanished.

“What?” He squeaked again. God! He hated when he did that, but he figured that Nicole’s head appearing to float at the side of the shelves was worthy of a squeak if not a full on panic attack. “How? You can do magic?”

“No, Jer,” Nicole chuckled softly at his hopeful expression. “Come take a look.” Stepping out of the way, she stood by Nedley’s side as Jeremy squeezed himself behind the shelving into the small room beyond that the Mayor had procured for his panic room when he wanted to hide from the many dangers in Purgatory… most notably Chrissy and her war on his snack food, as well as Bunny just because she was Bunny and Judge Andras because he was a curmudgeony old grouch and she didn’t let him get away with his grouchy old man B.S.

The shelving, while appearing to be open backed to show the clean, white painted wall beyond, was in fact backed to match perfectly and disguise the small doorway behind it. Too small and deemed fiddly to keep clean when the morgue had first been set up, it had been locked up and forgotten by all… apart from Nedley. He’d admitted that he’d kept it in mind but had had no reason to make use of it… until he had become Mayor.

“Oh my, god! You’ve got a flat screen in here! This is so awesome… we could have a games night… no girls allowed! Sorry, Nicole…”

“This is my hideaway, son. I make the rules. No games night… no taking it over for any pyjama party stuff… or defiling my TV with any silliness!” That damn TV had been a nightmare to get into the building and through the station unseen even in the wee hours of the morning. Would have been easy through the main morgue entrance if he hadn’t forgotten the code to get in through that door.

Jeremy deflated, his shoulders sagging a little.

“But… if you behave and sit quietly… you can join me for a Uma Thurman movie marathon once a month.”

“Uma’s good, I like Uma… Tell me, Mayor, what are your feelings on Queer Eye?”

While they negotiated use of the room, Nicole moved back to the bottom of the stairs and focussed on the sounds coming from the station above to see if Bunny had moved on.

“Give it a bit longer, Nicole.”

“Yeah, patience my young padawan.”

“Absolutely no Harry Potter references, son. I lost all respect for J.K. and that franchise with her actions online and their casting decisions for the new movie,” he tossed back over his shoulder. “Bunny is like a shark circling for blood. One foot out of that door, or any other,” he warned as Nicole shifted her gaze to the main entrance, “and she will catch you. Pretty sure she’s not as human as she likes to make out either but I haven’t worked out what she is yet. Troll or Hag maybe.”

“Oh, she’s human. She’s just a really, really awful one. And you should really stop hiding from Emily though, old man. She’s not as bad as you like to make out.”

“Oh, I know. I just like to make her work for the Randy.”

“You know that sounded _really_ wrong, right?”

“You know, I could set up a killer sound system in that room.”

“Jeremy!”

“Chetri!”

“Sorry,” Jeremy ducked his head, “got a little carried away huh? It’s like my first Grindr date all over again.”

“I- Uh-” Nicole wasn’t quite sure how to take that and was positive she didn’t want to think about it more than she just had. “You sure it’s not safe to leave yet?” she asked hopefully. “Waverly is supposed to be picking me up soon. Of course, she wouldn’t need to do that at all if I had a vehicle,” she mumbled, her lips forming into a pout.

“Sorry, kid,” he patted her shoulder gently. “Even if I did release more funds to the budget your wings would still be clipped.” Turning her gently, he ducked his head, trying to catch her eye. “Nicole, you crashed your vehicle… again. Even if I could ignore that I can’t ignore the fact that you can’t remember what happened before the crash or anything about it. You’re more like a daughter to me than you realise and… and I can’t let you get behind the wheel until I know it’s not going to happen again,” he finished softly. “I can’t, I won’t, risk you like that.”

Sighing, her shoulders sagging under the tender weight of his hands, Nicole nodded. “I never really got to go through a teenager phase,” she grumbled. “Never had anyone to care. Kinda feels like I’ve been grounded and… man, it sucks!”

Chuckling, he patted her cheek, his heart swelling with affection for her. “Just don’t make me put you in time out. Chrissy perfected the art of corner sulking that used to twist me into knots with guilt and I don’t want to have to go through that again.”

“I won’t… but I might just send the girls to you when they start playing up.”

“Speaking of those precious angels. Is everything still on as planned?”

“Of course! Clarke and Alexandria said to remind you that you are always welcome to pop up at any time anyway and not just when… erm, well, ya know,” she blushed furiously. It was bad enough that everyone knew why she was going to be off… What they would be doing… It was quite another when it was Nedley, not only the man that had just called her a daughter to him, but an actual relative, and her mentor. It was even worse than Wynonna knowing.

“Erm, yes, well. Okay,” he cleared his throat and glanced anywhere but at her. He didn’t think it was possible to feel embarrassed again… really Chrissy informing him when she and her boyfriend at the time had decided it was time to take things to the next level when she came of age should have shocked it out of him but… here he was.

“I can’t wait for the celebration at the village there next week!” Jeremy bounced excitedly at the thought of it. All the clans were sending representatives to celebrate both the anniversary of Alexandria’s rise to leader of the Woods Clan and of the peace forged between them all. He was beyond excited and looking forward to sharing it with… Oh… he sagged. His heart cracking at the sudden realisation that he had no one to share it with. And he so hated feeling lonely in a crowd.

“Maybe I should give that one a miss,” he whispered more to himself than anyone.

“I hope you change your mind about that, son. It sounds like it’s fixin’ to be a fine shindig and… well, I’m kind of hoping you will help me to entertain Robin as Chrissy is busy that night.”

Nicole frowned in confusion as Nedley gave her a wink. She made a mental note to ask Waverly if she knew this Robin that she could swear it sounded like Nedley was trying to set Jeremy up with. And maybe she needed to have a word with Chrissy too about curtailing his _Drag Race_ habit?

In the meantime though… She could feel the lightness in the air and Bunny and her obnoxiously strong perfume left the station and she could hear Waverly singing along to her music as she pulled up outside.

“Time for me to go,” she grinned.

She barely even gave them time to absorb her words before she leapt up the stairs, taking them three or four at a time instead of leaping them in one go. Head on a swivel, she detoured to her office for one last check and waved at J.D. to let him know she was out of there.

Her heart lifted, her pulse throbbing through her veins as she stepped out and saw Waverly climbing out of her Jeep, her face flushed and eyes burning with a need Nicole was in no mood to deny her any longer.

Though maybe making it home first would be a good idea?

Maybe?

“Everything check out okay with the Doc?”

“Yep, according to the blood tests we’re good to go. Truthfully, even if she’d said it wasn’t I wouldn’t care.”

“Me either. And if it doesn’t work… I’m looking forward to the nesting and even more family to love.”

The utter love rolled off Nicole in waves that had Waverly wanting to purr and roll in the sensation. Grabbing her by the belt loops, Waverly yanked her closer until they were pressed together. The pressure of their bodies colliding making them both growl softly. “God! I think we need to go home… right now!”

“We should probably drop the kids off with Clarke first though, huh?”

“Logic? Really, Nicole, how can you do logic right now?”

“Not easily. But if trying to keep a bit of a clear head now means we don’t have to worry about Kat and Dom wolfing out and getting into mischief…”

“Logic it is,” Waverly chuckled. “I hope they’re prepared for them at the village?”

“Are you kidding me? Clarke and Raven were both looking forward to it just a bit too much.”

“Do I need to give the ‘don’t teach our kids how to make things go boom’ speech to Raven already?”

“I give it to her every time we’re there,” Nicole chuckled.

Waverly revved the engine with relish as Nicole huffed from where she was forced to watch from the passenger seat. She should have remembered the kids though… even threatening speed had them fussing. “Still? I blame you for that,” Waverly huffed, pointing a finger at Nicole.

“Me?”

“Yep, they inherited the boring cop gene from you,” she grouched playfully as she slowly set the car rolling, forced to keep just below the speed limit by the adorable, drooling narcs in the back seat.

Nicole settled back in the seat, the girls’ presence meaning she didn’t have to struggle to hold herself upright and she could actually relax her toes instead of trying to grab the floor with them. Yes, she trusted Waverly’s skills behind the wheel, but that didn’t mean she had to like being a passenger and having no control.

Right then though, she could sit back and enjoy more than just the ride as Waverly turned her music back on low and started singing along to it.

She had a voice that was as beautiful as the rest of her. Reaching and holding every note perfectly even when they hit the bumpier stretches of road and she grinned as the girls squealed joyously from the back.

“Well, there they are!” Crouching down, Clarke held out her hands as she Jasmine and Melanie rushed towards her as best as they could and fell into her arms. She breathed in their soft scent as she rose to her feet with them clasped securely to her. She chuckled as Kat and Dom ran around between the adults with the kind of energy and enthusiasm that would have them collapsing into a pile long before their normal bedtime.

Nicole snatched them up off the ground, corralling them before they could get worked up to the point of changing. A soft purr and they settled enough that their eyes drooped a little.

“Sneaky.”

“So I’ve been told,” Nicole chuckled. “I won’t ask if you’re all set and got everything ‘cause that will have Alexandria giving me that look… yep, that one,” she smirked as her friend turned and gave her a look.

“She is good at that look,” Clarke grinned. “Now, let’s get them settled down to play with Cole and Madi so you can be on your way.” The name of their children had the four little ones perking up and looking around, not even Nicole’s purr enough to quell their excitement. Clarke loved the bond that was between them already. It was everything she could have dreamed of and more for them.

**********

Even though they were desperate to get back home and lose themselves in each other it was, as always, difficult to drive away and leave their children behind even though they were perfectly safe there amongst people that loved them as much as their own children and a whole village ready to guard them.

The summer sun was sinking towards the horizon as they left, painting the sky with a rich palette of colours even as it darkened the interior of the Jeep with thick shadows.

Nicole gently cupped and stroked Waverly’s jaw, her fingers tenderly brushing away the glistening tear that fell from her lashes. Her eyes still on the road, Waverly turned her head enough to nuzzle against the palm of her hand and press a kiss there.

“Do you want to run tonight?”

“Always.”

If the moon could live inside a living being, it was there right then, rising in Waverly’s eyes as she turned to glance at her. It sucked the air out of her lungs with the need to change right there and then so she could throw back her head and sing to the beauty of it and to her love for Waverly.

The feeling is so strong that as even before Waverly has the engine turned off, Nicole was tugging on both their clothing, spurred on by Waverly’s joyous laugh and needy whines as her fingers join in the struggle for skin and freedom.

Nicole’s body went lax, her hands going limp as Waverly slid over from her seat to straddle her lap, her body shimmering and perfect, her teeth flashing white before they nipped at her flesh.

Then she was gone.

Her body graceful and sleep as she leapt out of the Jeep, changing in mid-air so that she landed on all four paws. She gazed back at her with eyes that still held the moon for a moment before they returned to their equally alluring shade of hazel.

Nicole nearly tripped over her own tongue in her haste to follow Waverly but she recovered, landing nimbly to shake out her coat and endure the playful nips to her ears. They set off at a full run, their strong muscles and lengthy stride eating up the ground with ease. As they passed by the paddock, the horses lifted their heads and joined them, running beside them the length of the fence before they cut away to cross over the stream into the woods.

They played as they ran, weaving aimless patterns through the trees as they chased each other until they reached a clearing at the top of a rise and fell upon each other in a tangle of fur and limbs and lay side by side.

Waverly nipped softly at Nicole’s ear, eliciting the softest of huffs as she draped her head over Nicole’s shoulder and basked in the strength of her and the heat emanating from her body where they were pressed together.

It was so beautiful and peaceful there with the land stretched out before them, their woods guarding their backs and the occasional howl reaching up to the moon as the night fell around them.

She guided them home, the stars outshone by her beauty. But with Nicole at her side, Waverly barely even saw it. With every step the anticipation grew harder and harder to resist and by the time their paws stopped on the porch, Waverly felt like she was about to crawl out of her skin and as Nicole opened the door, Waverly tackled her inside.

**********

“They’re upset with you, you know that right?”

Juan Carlo ignored the being that appeared at his side and continued to stroke the magnificent black horse standing patiently before him gently between the eyes.

“I said—”

“I heard what you said, Kevin,” he cut them off abruptly. “I just don’t care what they think… No more than you do.” He looked at his friend. Always the rebel, Kevin had rejected any the idea of conforming to their assigned gender, had changed their name and was living their existence how they wanted too… which was generally pissing off their bosses while wearing some rather spiffy suits.

“We are forbidden to interfere. We only watch. We observe and record, but we don’t participate.”

“Was that why they arranged her accident? ‘Cause that seemed like the very definition of interfering to me.” He rounded on Kevin, anger showing in his eyes.

“They wanted to do far more, my friend. It took more than it should have to convince our bosses that maybe interference was needed to right certain wrongs. But… you are allowed no further contact. They are to work things out for themselves or not at all.”

“They will. I have faith.”

Kevin pursed their lips at his words but by the time they turned around, it was to see Juan Carlo disappearing right before them with his smile lingering in the air.

“I hate when he does that,” Kevin grumbled to the very uninterested and unimpressed horse. “I hope the old fool is right though.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Everyone when Bunny turns up.
> 
> AN - Welp, here's Kevin. I'm tentatively writing the character with they/them pronouns but looking back at that episode, both Waverly and Wynonna used female ones right in front of Kevin so I'm not sure if they just didn't care enough to correct them or what was going on.
> 
> Anna Silk looked damn fine in that suit though ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN... short and not at all SFW ;) Enjoy.

Waverly watched, enraptured, as Nicole climbed to her feet, her coat only slightly ruffled from their roll on the kitchen floor and lifted her head and scented the air once more. Her cute, furry ears swivelling and twitching briefly but whatever had caught her attention had either left or wasn’t a threat.

Usually, Waverly would have checked with her.

She would have lifted her head too and tested her own skills trying to work out what had caught Nicole’s finely tuned senses. But, once the door had shut behind them, she had released her already tenuous grip on the reins holding her heat in check and snatching them back up out of curiosity was the last thing on her mind right then.

Circling the dining table, Waverly ignored the swiping of Calamity’s paw as she tried to snag her tail from her position on top of the table in favour of admiring Nicole’s beauty. It didn’t matter which form Nicole was in, her jawline was stunningly beautiful. All sharp angles that begged to be touched with reverence just as every inch of her did.

Waverly started with that jawline though. Taking advantage of the way her head was tilted back, she ran her eyes, nose, and then her tongue across it. She could feel Nicole’s desire spike higher through their bond and also through the heady scent of her arousal as it teased her nose.

Without a word being spoken, they rose up, shedding their wolf form to stand on two feet. Waverly watched Nicole through every far too brief second, taking everything in as her eyes returned from solid wolf to human, losing not one bit of their lustre or love along the way, and the faintest of markings on her left cheek; a tiny patch of darker hair and the slight parting of the hair. Neither were overly obvious but Waverly knew every bit of Nicole in every form and had seen up close and personal as they had become the beauty mark and a pale, ragged scar her thumb now rested against.

Waverly stroked the line of the scar where it touched her cheekbone and curved up towards her temple, hating only the pain Nicole must have felt when it had been etched into her skin by silver. Nicole’s head tilted her cheek and then lips nuzzling into her palm in a move that was familiar and loving as the look in her eyes.

“Did you hear something outside, Nicole?”

Nicole frowned slightly, wondering for a moment what outside was and why it would even matter when she had everything she wanted right there, perfect and very naked, in her arms? At the soft smirk on Waverly’s face, Nicole drummed the tips of her fingers where they rested against Waverly’s waist and nipped at the fingers trailing teasingly over her jaw.

“Well?” Waverly prompted as Nicole seemed content to just nibble on her… not that she was complaining too much about that.

“What? Oh! No… Well, I thought I heard something but it was just the horses settling. But if you want I could go check—” She laughed as Waverly growled and tangled her hand in her hair as she went to move away.

“Nicole! The next move you make better be one that puts you between my legs!”

“You mean, like this?” Hands sliding down, delighting in the clench and shiver of Waverly’s muscles beneath her touch, Nicole cupped the back of Waverly’s thighs and lifted her up. Muscular legs wrapped around her, cinching in tight around her waist to bring their bodies closer together and steal a thick moan from them both.

“That will do… for starters.” Waverly’s voice stuttered off into another thick moan, her fingers clawing at Nicole’s back as Nicole started to walk. That was all… she walked. But the motion of her body, so lithe and strong, the way she moved between her thighs setting off fireworks from the top of Waverly’s head all the way down to the tips of her pleasure curled toes, had Waverly’s head dropping to Nicole’s shoulder, her moans and whimpers panting out across her skin as she mouthed at the mark upon Nicole’s neck, filling herself with her glorious scent.

Nicole’s stride, while driving Waverly out of her mind, was long and sure, carrying them through the warmth and security of their home and up the stairs to their room. Waverly tightened her legs around Nicole’s waist as she made to put her down on the mattress, pulling her down with her. She needed the contact of their skin. Craved it.

And Nicole gave it to her.

Crawling up the bed with her still locked around her, she pressed her deep into the mattress, her hips grinding into the cradle of her thighs in a slow, even pace. Waverly cried out against the warmth of Nicole’s neck, her thankfully blunt nails scoring grooves down Nicole’s back and shoulders as she pulled her closer still.

Always wanting more.

The thrust and grind of Nicole’s hips and body against her own matched the thud of blood through her veins. Holding her right on the edge of a precipice within seconds. Wanting more. Faster. Harder. But loving the almost excruciatingly soft build of sensation.

Softly panted grunts fell against her neck and ear from Nicole’s mouth. White teeth grazed and nibbled, sending waves and sparks of heat throbbing through her body to pool within her, setting every nerve on fire, her body feeling swollen and alive.

“More! Please, Nicole… more, want more!”

“So greedy, baby. Tell me what you need.” Nicole smirked against Waverly’s throat. She could feel all the wants and needs roiling within Waverly. All of them building in intensity and stealing her voice as her heat consumed her.

Luckily, they had, as always, talked already about what they wanted, what they desired and she could feel one rising above them all and knew just how to satisfy her.

“Hold on, baby,” gently, she worked to ease Waverly’s legs from where they were locked around her waist. Which was easier said than done as Waverly’s need was riding her hard and she didn’t want to break physical contact. “Let me go for a minute and I’ll give you _everything_ you want,” she growled softly against her ear. The growl worked more than her words and Waverly went limp and compliant long enough for Nicole to unwind her legs and climb from the bed.

She hated the parting as soon as she had it but the thought of what she was about to do gave her the strength to gather up what she needed and make her way to the bathroom. Usually, she would have stayed right there and used the sight of her preparing to tease Waverly further but… the sight of Waverly moaning and writhing on the bed was _very_ distracting.

Even though her fingers trembled, Nicole hurried as fast as she could, working the straps of the harness around her hips, cinching them in tight so that their favourite dildo stayed secure as she put it in place and slid the smaller end home. A shiver ran down her spine at the sensation, nearly buckling her knees as she tossed back her head.

“Nicole!”

Nicole straightened her spine and her resolve at Waverly’s needy moan and followed the siren call of it back into the bedroom. She wasn’t even aware of rolling the condom on or spreading lube along the shaft but Waverly’s appreciative, panted moan at the sight of it glistening and ready as she stroked her hand up and down the length made her ache all the more.

“This what you need, baby?” A soft whimper, the spreading apart of Waverly’s legs and the searching grasp of her hands as she crawled onto the bed was all the answer Nicole got and needed.

Obviously done with waiting, Nicole chuckled softly as Waverly nimbly wrapped her legs back around her waist and started pulling her closer determinedly. Growling gently, demanding Waverly's patience and submission, Nicole ran her hands along the inside of Waverly’s thighs, feeling the quiver in her muscles as she nudged the tip of her cock against dripping folds.

“You ready?”

“Nicole… if you— Ohhhh!” Waverly’s breath left her on a thick moan as Nicole nudged her hips forward. She lost herself in the brown of her eyes until the sensation of the cock slowly entering her, the stretch of the wide head, the thickness of the shaft spreading her as it slid deeper and deeper, became too much and her eyes fluttered shut under the weight of the pleasure.

“Oh god… baby,” Nicole shuddered and moaned thickly at the sight of Waverly stretched around her cock as their hips came together again. Even though she knew that Waverly would love it if she did, it took every ounce of self-restraint to hold herself still and give Waverly time to adjust. “You took my cock so well, Waves. My good girl.”

She preened under Nicole’s praise, her hips lifting to accept every bit and entice Nicole into moving. Hooking the back of Nicole’s neck with her hand, she pulled her down, meeting her halfway in a heated kiss. The shift of Nicole’s cock deep within her had Waverly releasing a throaty, lust filled moan into her mouth that had Nicole thrusting deeper into her, the shift and glide, the pleasurable stretch making her moan and pant even more.

Using her whole body, Nicole pinned Waverly to the bed, giving them both the contact of skin upon skin that they both desired as she moved. Their bodies moved together, thrusting and gliding as one until Nicole wasn’t sure where she ended and Waverly began, or if she even cared. Her pleasure was Waverly’s and she followed the call of her beautiful Omega’s body and desires, listening to every moan and gasp, following every rake of nails against her back, and bite of teeth against her shoulders, neck and lips as they kissed hungrily. She worked her cock in and out of Waverly’s pussy as it fluttered and grasped, tugging on the end buried inside her as she angled it just right.

Nicole had wanted to take her time as she knew that once their heat and rut hit at full strength they wouldn’t be satisfied with toys. But Waverly was having none of that and Nicole was powerless to deny her as well as the demands of her own body.

“Harder! Fuck me!”

Growling, Nicole hooked Waverly’s legs over her shoulders, angled them just right and pinning her in place beneath her. Her next thrust sank in deeper than ever, the pleasure filled moan released into her ear setting off explosions that radiated out from the base of Nicole’s spine as she gave Waverly exactly what she wanted, her hips moving faster, harder, deeper, over and over until she screamed and howled out her pleasure and pulled Nicole right over the edge with her.

Waverly came back to herself somewhat with the sweet taste and feel of Nicole’s flesh in her mouth. The copper tang of blood was drowned out by the taste of vanilla dipped doughnuts and the woodsy notes of lavender. Easing back slightly on her grip, she lapped delicately at the bruised and broken flesh, Nicole’s soft rumble of pleasure at the motion making her aware that Nicole’s teeth had found a home in the mark on her neck too.

A full body shiver ran through her as Nicole slowly released her grip and lifted her head enough to look into her eyes. She would never grow tired of or not be in awe of the love those beautiful brown eyes held for her.

Before she could say anything, Nicole slowly started to ease out of her and Waverly struggled to remember how to breathe as the slow glide through tender, swollen flesh had her arching and writhing anew, her fingers digging into the muscles either side of Nicole’s spine.

“Fuck me!”

“Waverly Earp, I believe I just did,” Nicole purred back smugly.

“Wha… You…” Waverly weakly slapped at Nicole’s shoulder for the quip and tried to hold her huff through the salacious, wet sound of the harness and the dildo slapping against the floor.

“God, you’re so wet, baby.”

“Shit… Nicole!” Waverly writhed, her hips bucking up as heat not even dampened by her orgasm flared even higher as Nicole’s long, elegant, knowing fingers dipped and slid between parted folds, stroking in and out as she gathered up the evidence of her copious arousal before bringing them back to her mouth to taste. The look in her eyes was hot and hungry, the honey brown darkening as her pupils grew wider with desire. A part of Waverly’s brain fried as she watched Nicole licking her fingers clean, her body freezing with the sure knowledge that she was faced with a predator that wanted to eat her.

 _“Yes, yes, I do!”_ Nicole grinned wildly.

If she had been capable, Waverly would have slapped at Nicole’s shoulder again for that but as it was her ability to do anything was stolen by Nicole’s lightning fast move that took her out of sight in an instant and left Waverly grasping at the bed and the top of Nicole’s head as her lips, tongue and fingers explored and devoured as Nicole set about proving just how hungry she was for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	8. Chapter 8

Nicole grumbled quietly, her eyes screwing together tighter, a frown furrowing her brow as the light but firm weight resting across her middle pressed tighter, dragging her further out of her sleep with the building need to pee as it pressed against her bladder.

She stirred, moaning all the more as the movement made her realise that it wasn’t the need to relieve her bladder that had awoken her but just the general ache of exertion and exhaustion running through her whole body and settling as a heavy lassitude in every muscle in a way that felt quite pleasant.

Eyes still closed, she smiled and wiggled her spine deeper into the mattress. The knowing press of a hand against her lower abdomen and a giggle at the gasp it drew from her finally had Nicole’s eyes opening and brought the memory of everything they had done that had earned her an aching body coming back to her in a rush.

Waverly smiled as Nicole turned to face her, her body almost liquid in its limpness as she blinked at her with eyes shining with flecks of gold in the light streaming through the window. Her kiss-swollen lips curving into a crooked, sleepy smile as she scooted closer, their bodies drawn to each other as always even though their heat and rut had relaxed its almost feverish grip on them hours earlier.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” Nicole whispered huskily.

Grinning at the soft, sleepy drawl and gravel of Nicole’s voice, Waverly nuzzled closer, her lips and nose nudging against the line of Nicole’s jaw and throat. She chuckled as the press of their bodies elicited a throaty purr of enjoyment and a slightly hissed gasp as pressure was put on her lower abdomen. “Need to work on those core muscles, babe,” she teased.

“I’ll show you core muscles,” Nicole growled softly. “Maybe in an hour or so,” she relented as her overworked muscles protested and overrode the intent of her words.

“Lightweight,” Waverly teased.

“Lightweight!?” Huffing, Nicole flopped over dramatically, pinning a giggling Waverly beneath her. “That was eight days, Waves! And I could go eight more but your darling sister broke in and ate all my lasagne!” she whined, thinking about the note where a bottle of whiskey had stood after she had found the empty dish.

 

_**I.O.U. 1 bottle of whiskey! NOT!  
God! You guys are loud! Get a room!** _

 

Waverly laughed at Nicole’s dramatics, her body twitching and writhing under the probing movements of her fingers and gentle nips of her teeth as Nicole ravished her neck and shoulders thoroughly.

“We’ll get her back next time she’s in rut.”

“God, no! One, that would mean hearing her and the boys doing things. And two, knowing your sister she would just find a way through her rut to drag the party over here and—” she shuddered at the thought of what that might mean… definitely a whole new set of furniture and some therapy or a bottle of bleach for her eyes.

Nicole’s thoughts were suddenly and delightfully derailed by an upwards twisting motion of Waverly’s hips that had their bodies brushing together. Heat burst outwards, shooting up her spine and down her legs, pooling low in her abdomen. Moaning, whimpering, she sagged against Waverly, her hips answering the siren call of her desire.

“Are you sure you can’t go another round?” Waverly bit her lip as Nicole lifted her head from where it had fallen against her shoulder, her answer came in the form of Nicole’s beautiful eyes burning with love and lust.

“Waverly, I would have to be dead not to want you… and then I’m not sure that would make any difference.”

“Well, let’s not test that one any time soon, hmmm?” Waverly chuckled breathlessly. Her chuckle breaking into a thick moan as the gentle, rhythmic undulations of their bodies left her gasping and clutching at Nicole’s shoulders as the heat built higher and higher.

It shouldn’t have surprised her, it really shouldn’t have, but sometimes it still did with how quickly and all-consuming it was, how fast it could build even after eight days of nearly continuous lovemaking.

Hell, she was pretty sure she couldn’t stand unaided or even feel her legs at all and yet she wanted to climb Nicole like a tree just as much, if not more so, than she had at the start of her heat.

Nicole’s weight kept her pinned. Gently. Lovingly. Controlling. Giving her exactly what she needed to build the pressure within her higher and higher. The brush of fingers skating over her body. The soft bite and sting of them as they teased her nipples expertly. The curl of them within her, beckoning her orgasm on with each slow, deep, probing stroke in and out.

Waverly soared under her touch and drowned in the depths of her brown eyes until she closed them under the weight of the climax building and rolling through her, pulling her under until her body stiffened and Nicole’s body became her anchor as she melted.

She drifted slowly back into herself. The sweeping curl of Nicole’s long fingers pulling another keening moan that was swallowed hungrily by the demanding softness of her mouth. Her hands tightened as she soared again, gently floating back into her body against with her fingers of one hand digging into Nicole’s hip and ass, pulling her closer, the other hand was entwined with Nicole’s, their grips so tight their fingers were almost white as Nicole repeated her curling motion and dragged another wave of an orgasm over her.

The intensity of them was too much and nowhere near enough all at the same time, each one building and washing over her so close together that she wasn’t sure where one ended and the next started or if it was just one long continuous orgasm. Nicole guided her through them perfectly, so in tune with her needs that she knew when to ease up and when to go faster, harder.

And when to finally slow and stop before the sensitivity of her body turned pleasure to pain.

When to pull the covers back over their trembling bodies.

And when to tuck her back into the curve of her trembling body so that her head lay over the lulling beat of her heart.

Waverly wasn’t sure how long they lay like that; wrapped in each other, napping, talking quietly, sharing love and laughter and napping some more. Just being together. But the next thing she became aware of… after a stretch revealed just how tender her body was to the idea of moving let alone a stretch, was that the bed beside her was empty, the covers cool where Nicole’s body had wrinkled them. The fact had barely even registered before the bedroom door opened and Nicole returned with a tray full of food and a beaming smile on her face that lit the room and had Waverly’s whole body wiggling like an overexcited puppy.

“You’re up!”

Nicole chuckled as Waverly’s grimaced at herself for stating the obvious. “Not even sure about that,” Nicole winced slightly as she put the tray on the bed and slid back under the covers. Leaning closer, she captured Waverly’s lips in a gentle kiss… and then several more before she felt and tasted so amazing. “Took me a long ass time to remember how to even turn the kettle on,” she finally finished.

“My poor baby.” Cupping her cheek, Waverly leaned and pressed a kiss to the warm softness there. “I see you remembered how to make breakfast just fine though,” she purred appreciatively as she took in the mouth-watering sight and smell of pancakes and waffles heaped upon the plates, the sweetness of the syrup, the tang of freshly sliced strawberries and… “Mmmm, chocolate?” she asked hopefully.

“I couldn’t make my mind up so there are chocolate pancakes and blueberry ones too.” Cutting off a piece from one of the chocolate pancakes, Nicole dipped it into the syrup… and then dipped it until it was dripping with it as Waverly’s eyebrow climbed at what Nicole thought was a perfectly fine ratio of pancake to syrup, and brought it to Waverly’s mouth. As Waverly’s nimble tongue snaked out to gather up a drop of syrup before it could fall, Nicole found she couldn’t fault Waverly’s fondness for insane amounts of syrup after all.

Waverly blushed under the weight of Nicole’s gaze and pressed her thighs together as desire coiled tight within her again.

“Food first.” Nicole chuckled, ducking her head as Waverly growled and bit into the strawberry she held up to ward her off.

They ate. Feeding themselves and each other tasty morsels of food, stolen kisses, and lingering touches as the air filled with laughter and heated glances that promised so much more to come.

It was evening before they emerged from their bedroom and left the house to end their heat and rut how it had started with a run on four paws through the woods around their home. Sitting at one of their favourite lookouts, they basked in each other and the last hurrah of the setting sun that lit the sky in a blaze of colour before giving way to the paler hues of the moon.

A shiver coursed through Waverly’s body as Nicole tilted back her head and let out a melodious howl that called to something primal within her.

Singing was still a rarity with Nicole, she preferred to ‘listen to the gossip’ as she put it but Waverly knew that it was because she had spent so many years trying to hide who she was, how powerful an Alpha she was, and she was finally opening up more because she truly felt safe to do so.

Throwing back her head too, Waverly added her own voice to Nicole’s and wondered if the girls could hear them up in the village.

 _“I’m just hoping there’s a village left,”_ Nicole chuckled as Waverly thought projected into her head.

_“Nicole! They’re not that bad, right?”_

_“Nope,”_ Nicole nuzzled her nose into the sweet spot along Waverly’s jaw just below her ear. _“They’re perfect angels… that can turn into wolves at the drop of a hat.”_

Tilting her head, Waverly chewed nervously on her lip. _“Maybe we should go get them back tonight?”_

_“Or, we could enjoy the rest of the night… have a shower… Netflix and chill for a bit… and then help pick up the pieces of the village tomorrow before the celebration?”_

_“I like the way you think, Sheriff Haught,”_ Waverly purred softly. Laughing through their link, Waverly nipped teasingly at Nicole’s flank and led the run back through the trees towards their home.

They slowed, as they always did, on the edge of the trees before the stream and the open land beyond that led to their pretty blue house. The horses were quiet in their stable, just the soft movement and whickering of Macha and Akna to let them know that their return had been heard by them, and there was no scent of anything to say they had been disturbed before but they remained cautious.

They were almost at the house, Waverly’s paw about to touch the edge of the porch when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. But between the space of one heartbeat and the next… it was gone, leaving her only with the faint impression on her consciousness that she _might_ have seen something, even though the rest of her senses said otherwise.

Nicole turned to look the way Waverly had glanced, a growl curling across her bared teeth and lips. She couldn’t see or sense anything but that didn’t have her simply dismissing Waverly’s feelings even though Waverly was already shaking them off and heading through the door into the kitchen.

Poking her head back around the door, Waverly ruffled her hand between Nicole’s ears, tugging them gently until Nicole relented with the growling and huffed softly in her face. “It’s okay, baby. I think I just saw a shadow.”

Shifting from four to two feet, Nicole splayed her hands out across Waverly’s waist, her fingers teasing the swell of her hips. She huffed again and rolled her eyes, eliciting a smirk from Waverly as she continued to play with her ears for a moment before the slid back, tucking her hair behind her ears before burrowing into the hair at her nape.

Raising up onto her tiptoes, Waverly brushed her lips along the fine line of Nicole’s jaw. She could taste the fresh air and the woods layered over their scent upon her skin and trapped within the silky red strands of hair she buried her nose in as her lips reached Nicole’s ear.

“How about you fix some snacks and I’ll pick out something to watch?” she lulled quietly against the shell of Nicole’s ear.

Nicole was entranced, mesmerised by the inviting tone of Waverly’s voice, the warmth of her breath against her ear and the enticing sway of her hips as she gathered up the loose clothing they had left out ready and made her way into the living room. So entranced that she was dressed and almost done with her Waverly appointed task of gathering up snacks and drinks before she remembered…

“Hey! It was supposed to be my turn to pick what we watched!”

She shook her head, her lips curving into a smile as Waverly’s beautiful laughter danced its way to her ears.

“Come on, Bernie,” bending down she ruffled his head and earned a sleepy yawn and an equally sleepy tail wag from their pup. “Let’s go see what mama’s picked out for us to watch.”

Following Bernie into the living room, Nicole put everything down on the table within reach as Bernie leapt onto the couch and settled down at Waverly’s side next to CJ. Their fluffy, ginger guardian lifted her head and gave Bernie a thoroughly offended haughty glower but as if realising that the pup was too sleepy to pay her any attention, she quickly curled up into him, burying her nose into his fur as she let out a contented purr that Nicole could hear clear across the room.

Drawn by a feeling, Nicole looked over the top of her small desk. It was always kept clear, or as clear as it could be as it was one of CJ’s favourite perches to watch the kids playing from and the last time she had sat at it the girls had pottered over every couple of seconds to tempt her with a toy until she had quickly given up and started playing with them on the floor. Smiling at the memory, Nicole picked up the plush horse toy still sitting upon the desk. She could have sworn that Dom had gotten it back the same day, it was one of her favourites.

“Maybe Wynonna put it there,” she muttered to herself.

“What was that, love?”

“Nothing, just thinking out loud,” she smiled. Smoothing down the soft plushness of its fur, Nicole went to put it back on the desk and froze.

That had not been there when she picked the toy up!

Eyes narrowing, Nicole reached out, grasped the corner of the notepaper on the desk and picked it up so she could read what was written on it.

 

_**Talk to Kiersten Lesko. – K.** _

 

Who in the hell was K? It was worded wrong to be Kiersten.

The bold strokes of the letters were done in no handwriting Nicole was familiar with. Certainly, no one that should have access to her home to be leaving cryptic messages to talk to Kiersten under her daughter’s toys!

“Nicole?”

“Hmm?” Blinking, Nicole looked at the blank piece of paper in her hand and put it back with the rest at the back of her desk.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Nicole smiled happily.

Making her way to the couch, she settled down beside Waverly being careful not to disturb Bernie and CJ too much as she did. She wrapped her arm around Waverly’s shoulders as she moved closer and tucked her head against her with a happy sigh as she rubbed her cheek against the softness of her faded cotton t-shirt. Tilting her head, Nicole kissed the crown of Waverly’s head and breathed in the scent of her.

“So, what have you picked for us to watch?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While the Tumblr shit storm rages on I will leave you with a chapter full of Awwww and more questions and two gifs from one of my favourite scenes even though I always seconds later go "FUCK YOU WILLA!"
> 
> AN - I was originally going to have the note written by JC but I realised that even a sex addled Nicole wouldn't be wondering who JC was so K stepped in to push the boundaries on what not interfeering means.


	9. Chapter 9

Eager to escape the frustration caused by trying to sift through all the meaningless paperwork that had built up in her in-tray thanks to Bunny Loblaw’s apparent war on her new neighbours to get to anything actually pertinent to her job, Nicole looked up at the sound of the BBD office door opening and smiled softly in bemusement as Rosita and Jeremy crept out looking more like naughty teenagers than grown adults.

Leaving her office, she sidled closer until she was leaning up against the reception desk at J.D.’s side. He shrugged his shoulder at her, a bemused smile in the twinkle in his eyes as they watched.

“What are you two doing?”

“Shhh!”

Blinking in shock, Nicole looked down, her eyebrows climbed as Rosita leaping across the gap between them and put her hand over her mouth as she slid nimbly over the top of the counter and spun her around so she could use her body as a shield. Rosita was the least nymph-like of the Nymph’s she knew but that move… either she had suddenly become a world-class gymnast or her Nymph genes were shining through. Poor Jeremy was not as gifted though and he managed to stumble over his own feet at least five times before he made it through the waist-high swing gate and crouched behind it.

“Did you put explosives in Wynonna’s doughnuts or something?” Nicole questioned as she prised Rosita’s hand away. “Ya know, you should stop swapping recipes with Raven, that’ll only get you in trouble.”

“Explosive food… Hmm, maybe that would teach her to stay out of my yoghurt,” Rosita mused contemplatively. “But, no, no exploding anything… so far.”

“It’s far worse,” Jeremy whined dramatically.

“Jeremy, get off the darn floor.”

“Nope! Not until Agent Dolls gets off of mission impossible.”

“I thought we picked a different code name?” Rosita chirped up over Nicole’s shoulder.

“One of you needs to talk before I march you on back to—”

“Thunderation!!! Not again!”

“Ohhhhh,” Nicole smirked in realisation. That man really was the worst with new tech.

“Confounded, demonic piece of claptrap!”

According to Waverly, once he got the hang of it he was snapping pics just fine but until then she said she was sure he would be happier with a couple of cans and a piece of string, and everyone else would prefer running into an irate moose over dealing with him.

“Doc still not getting the hang of his new phone, huh?” Nicole swiped at J.D.’s shoulder as they started bouncing up and down as he tried and failed to hold back his laughter as the array and volume of old-fashioned cussing increased.

“It’s getting worse!” Jeremy hissed. “I got five, five!! Accidental front camera selfies in the ten minutes!” Holding his phone up over the level of the counter her flicked through them so he could share the horror of Doc’s bemused and far too close face for herself.

“The one time he got it right… he was in the bathroom,” Rosita added. “And he hasn’t worked out that he’s sending them to his Instagram!”

“Remind me not to check on there until he gets his act together.”

“That could take years,” Jeremy groaned. “Xavier is trying to teach him but I think he’s about ready to put the phone in the microwave or just crush it by hand. Which would be hot, but also totally not hot as that means Doc would have to get used to _another_ new phone.”

“Maybe you should suggest a flip phone?”

“But- then there would be no sweet selfies!” Jeremy gasped in horror at the thought of never having Doc’s handsome face popping into his notifications again.

“Jeremy, you get to see him every… You know what? Okay, that’s it. I need you two to go find somewhere else to hide, I’ve got paperwork to get back to.” Waving her hands, Nicole tried to shoo them out of the bullpen before their insanity infected her officers.

“Yep, Bunny was especially bitchy this time,” J.D. nodded.

“And you can get back to work too,” Nicole growled at the reminder as to just what the paperwork was. “If I have to sort through her xenophobic BS because you lot were to chicken to deal with it yourselves you can take the evening shift on the speed trap on Old Road… for a week.”

“Ouch! I did help look after the horses while you were _indisposed_.”

“Which was very much appreciated and why you’re not doing full days out there for two weeks,” Nicole grinned wolfishly before closing the door to her office on them all.

Her smile lasted as long as it took for her to sit down and look at the inches thick stack of reports her complaints had generated. Every single one she had glanced at so far had just been complaints about her neighbours that boiled down to her not liking anything they did just because of the colour of their skin. It made Nicole’s skin crawl just from touching the reports and she wanted to just push them right to the edge of her desk and right into the trashcan. Or better yet, shove them one by one down Bunny’s vile throat and make her literally eat her words.

She did neither though.

She was the Sheriff of a town that seemed to be a magnet for strange goings on and it would have been negligent of her. Also, they made good ammunition against Bunny for if her neighbours had a reason to file a report of their own… and also for the charges of wasting police time that was building against her.

In the meantime, Nicole made a note to make sure that she and some of her better officers took the time to swing by Bunny’s poor unfortunate neighbours and make sure they knew that they were welcome there so that they would know that not everyone in Purgatory was an asshole.

Sliding the pile of reports closer, Nicole worked on them quickly, skimming over Bunny’s just to make sure there was nothing that leapt out and then moving on to the more important ones to see if anything needed following up on. With every one she sorted through, with every page turned over, it was as though the motion started an itch in the back of her head, a chant of a name that demanded her attention.

“Off already, boss?” There was such a purpose in her stride that J.D. was surprised that she even stopped to acknowledge him. But she paused with her hand on the top of the swing gate and seemed to come back to herself as she blinked.

“Just going to take a quick foot patrol of Main… not that I can do it any other way than by foot,” she huffed.

J.D. hid a smirk as Nicole cast a pout up at the ceiling as though she could see through the building to where Mayor Nedley’s office was. “Don’t worry, Sheriff, I’m sure you’ll get your wheels back soon.”

“I hope,” Nicole grumbled. “Anyway, I’ll be back in twenty. If those idiots kick off just lock yourself in my office,” she grinned as another round of cussing, this time from Xavier, shook the BBD door.

**********

“Well, hello there, Sheriff!”

Nicole spun around, a smile already on her face as she recognised the voice and scent of the woman calling her as she finished crossing the road from Shorty’s. She knew she had to be somewhere even though the ‘where’ was still only an itch at the back of her mind. But that could wait.

“Please, Mrs Earp, it's Nicole.”

“I know. And I’ll remember to call you that when you quit making me feel old with the Mrs Earp crap and start calling me, Michelle,” she narrowed her eyes playfully as the taller woman ducked her head a little, the motion making her look even younger than she was.

“I’ll try,” Nicole smiled before lifting a hand in greeting. “Hi, Gus.”

“See, she remembers your name,” Michelle huffed as her sister crossed the road to join them.

“That’s ‘cause I’m not Waverly’s mama,” Gus rolled her eyes at her sister’s teasing.

‘Exactly,’ Nicole thought. It was bad enough being faced with Wynonna when they’d just come off their heat and rut but she had found that Waverly’s sister was quickly driven away from her needling teasing by ‘too much information’ and quickly nope’d herself away when faced with any details of their sex life. That though was not something she wanted to share with their mother!

“You’re both coming up to the village later, right?”

“I’m still trying to convince this one that she’s invited,” Gus huffed as she shot Nicole a small glance, hoping that the young Alpha would help with that.

“Of course you are,” Nicole quickly assured her. “There’s going to be representatives from all the Yiska clans there but Alexandria and Clarke want family around them.”

“Well, if you’re sure?”

“Positive,” Nicole stated gently but firmly.

Michelle nodded, enduring the small hip check Gus gave her as a ‘Ha! Told you!’ “Are you sneaking off to meet young Waverly?” The way Nicole smiled ever so sweetly just at the mention of her youngest had Michelle smiling back.

“I’m on duty right now so I can’t just…” Nicole trailed off at the knowing look Gus was throwing her. “I would, but Waves decided to head on up to the village to see if they needed any help. Really I think she’s just missing the girls.” A feeling she knew all too well as she was looking forward to getting her hands on them too.

“Paperwork is driving me crazy and Doc’s driving the station crazy trying to get the hang of his new phone so I thought I would just head out on foot for a bit and see how everyone is.”

Gus frowned a little as Nicole looked down the street and her voice faded away. “You okay there, Nicole?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! Just a feeling…” a feeling that was tugging her in a specific direction.

“A feeling?” That didn’t sound good to Gus. If there was one thing she had learned since Nicole had coming into their lives, it was to trust her instincts.

“I think I need to go have a word with Kiersten.”

“Do you mind if we tag along? The machine was broke at Shorty’s so we’re about due for a coffee break.” Gus gave Michelle’s arm a tug, getting her moving again as Nicole smiled and gestured for them to walk with her.

“Kiersten?” Michelle frowned as she mulled over the name. She’d never heard it before… at least she didn’t think she had… it was certainly one she didn’t know from Purgatory and yet—

“She moved here not too long ago,” Gus explained. “She runs an amazing place that’s part diner and part high-end restaurant where you can hire a room and sit as a family. Been a godsend for all the families wanting to get out to eat without having to worry about their kids upsetting anyone.”

“I—” Michelle struggled to keep her feet moving and let Gus guide her as flashes of something went off behind her eyes.

_Night._

_A road._

_A man driving._

_A figure in the headlights._

_A voice…_

“Here we are!”

Pushing open the door to Kiersten’s place, Nicole smiled at the soft tinkle of the bell above the door. It was quiet inside with just a tall, burly looking man with greying hair sticking out from beneath his cap and a woman wearing a surprisingly dapper suit seated at either end of the room… a strange occurrence for a place that had become so popular among everyone in town.

“I’ll be with you in just a second!”

“No rush, Kiersten.”

“Well, well! Sheriff Haught! Thought you’d grown tired of my coffee.”

“Never… We’ve just been kind of— busy this past week.”

“Wolf stuff, dear,” Gus winked at her.

“Gus!” Nicole blushed furiously.

“Kiersten?” whispering the name, Michelle stepped from behind the others to face the owner of the familiar voice. “Kiersten?”

“Michelle?! Oh, my god! I never thought I would see you again!” Reaching out, Kiersten grasped the older woman by the hands. “I always hoped I would though so I could tell you and Juan Carlo just how grateful I am for everything you did. Is he here? Michelle!”

Kiersten barely even had time to realise that Michelle’s eyes were going glassy and rolling back before Nicole swooped in and carefully took Michelle’s weight before she hit the ground.

“Take her on through to a room! They’re all empty right now… I’ll get a glass of water and a cloth.”

**********

“I can sense your worry for her Juan Carlo but you can’t interfere,” Kevin reminded him as they sat down opposite him and crunched on the pickle he had left on his plate before he could get up and rush after them.

Resigned to their company, Juan Carlo settled back in his seat and narrowed his eyes at them over the brim of his coffee mug. “Oh, you mean like you didn’t interfere with that message?”

“You’ve set things in motion. I was just nudging them along a little before I got stuck here much longer waiting for them to catch up. Humans can just be so dense sometimes.”

“They are smarter than any of our kind ever gives them credit for.” At Kevin’s derisive sneer, Juan Carlo gestured with a nod of his head in the direction they had gone. “Did you know _they_ took on Bulshar and managed to destroy his ring without any help from us?”

He smirked as Kevin sat up straighter in their seat and looked to where they had gone with a look almost bordering on admiration on their face. “They kept that quiet because they didn’t want us to know that a mere human had found a way to destroy something even they couldn’t figure out.”

“How?”

“The Sheriff, Nicole. She’s Bulshar’s daughter,” the name stuck in his craw, forcing him to almost spit it out like it tasted bad. “That was all anyone saw. Some, fools every last one of them, still only see that. More importantly, though, her mother was from the Séquoia clan. Nicole, she claimed Bulshar’s ring as her own. Wore it. And then destroyed it before it could break her mind.”

Kevin tried not to let their shock or anything else they were feeling show but it was difficult. As Juan Carlo had said, the boys club they worked with had decreed that there was just no way of destroying the ring that Bulshar had created for him and yet, it _had_ been broken. The ripples of the power being released in its destruction had been felt everywhere.

“And the little one? Her mate?”

Juan Carlo smiled.

**********

Even though Michelle had woken up before Gus opened the first door for them, she remained quiet as Nicole strode across the room and placed her gently on the long couch at the far end. There was confusion in her eyes that only increased and Kiersten followed them in with the promised drink of water and a damp cloth.

“Is she okay?” Kiersten twisted her hands together as she watched Michelle take a drink.

“Just a little bit of a shock, right sis?”

“Kiersten, would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”

“Do I need a lawyer? Sorry, I always hear that said on TV but it sounds far less fun to be saying it for real than I imagined. Ask away.”

“You recognise Michelle?”

“Yes, she was one of the people that came to my rescue when I got left behind when I got off the coach. Why?”

Nicole looked to Michelle, silently asking for permission and got a nod. “Michelle is Waverly’s mother. Up until a few weeks ago, it was assumed that she was dead as she’d been missing for years.”

“But she was with Juan Carlo… Wait! He didn’t kidnap her, did he? She never made any indication that she needed help. Shit, did I miss something?”

“We don’t know,” Nicole quickly stated before Michelle could rush to Juan Carlo's defence as usual. “The fact is that Michelle can’t remember much of anything from all the years she was gone. And after Juan Carlo dropped her off he didn’t stick around to clear anything up.”

“Oh. But he seemed like such a nice man. Very kind and… courteous.”

“And you haven’t seen him since that day?”

“No. I remember that he- that- Hmm, okay, now that I’m trying to remember him, I can’t. It’s just all vague and shadowy.”

“Yeah, seems to be a lot of that going around,” Nicole grumbled under her breath.

“What?”

“Sorry,” Nicole waved a hand around. “Don’t mind me, just thinking out loud. Kiersten, would you mind telling me again what happened that day?”

“After they rescued me?”

“Further back. Everything you remember about that day. The journey. Just, anything you can think of.”

“How is it important?”

“I’m not sure that it is… Right now it’s just a feeling.”

“Okay,” Taking a breath, Kiersten paced back and forth as she ordered her thoughts. “I told you before that I was on my way through Calgary. What I didn’t tell you was that I’d just gotten through a very messy divorce and I’d just lost custody of my son. Should never have happened but my lawyers weren’t good and his rich assed parents could afford much better ones. I was desperate to get away and rebuild myself away from their influence and the only thing I could afford to escape on was the Bluntline. We were just coming through the badlands on what felt like the worst road and the driver was hell-bent on hitting every bump when my bladder was full of chestnut latte.”

“It was about ten thirty, I can remember getting my fifth rave review from another poor soul that had used the toilet and glancing at my watch to see how long ‘til the next stop. Then there was a bang and the coach swerved across the road. Came close to not needing the toilet after that,” she grimaced wryly.

“Someone beat me to the toilet and I had enough and got the driver to open the door so I could go out and find a bush. He—”

“He, what?”

“Strangest thing, I can kind of remember him saying something about it being the wrong time as he opened the door. I was in too much as a rush though. You know how it gets when your bladder sees the finish line. I swear though I didn’t go too far and I’d only just got my pants down when I heard the coach pulling away. He knew I was out there and he left my ass.”

“I couldn’t call anyone as everything was in my bag still on the coach so I decided to walk along the road and hope someone came up. It was so cold and dark. I can remember falling over a couple of times and thinking it would be easier to just stay down. And then, around about midnight, a beat up truck came into view and Juan Carlo and Michelle gave me a ride into Purgatory.”

“What can you remember about that part of it?”

“Not much now. Juan Carlo seemed sad at first. Beyond sad really. Maybe even a little angry. But he came around and they told me all about Purgatory. By the time he pulled up to let me out, right outside of this place, I was already sold on it.”

**********

With her fingers brushing against the handle of the café door, Nicole froze and scented the air. There was something there. Lingering behind the scent of food and people that permeated the furnishings and fabric of the café but it was impossible to grasp what it was or where it was. But, the more she focussed on one part of it she was sure she had smelled it before mingled with the scent of the forest and engine oil and grease?

It drew a growl out of her throat and passed bared teeth as her head whipped around, her eyes and ears searching for the cause. There was nothing there. Not even a soul in the café and only a few items of crockery waiting to be cleared up. Nicole didn’t relax her stance despite the almost overwhelming feeling if pressure telling her she should walk away.

“You first,” she hissed out. “Talk to me or get out.”

Nicole wasn’t sure if there was anything there to listen to her, not really, but the air cleared of both the scent and the forceful feeling of manipulation.

From their new location outside of Shorty’s, Kevin watched from Juan Carlo's side as the local Sheriff left the café and made her way back down the sidewalk towards the station. Her stride was long without being hurried, a destination obviously clear in her mind. And yet, several times she stopped to talk with people that called out to her in passing and even took the time to help an elderly couple load up the back of their car.

“She should not have been able to sense us like that.”

“Nicole is special,” Juan Carlo stated proudly. “You haven’t had much in the way of dealings with Werewolves I take it?”

“No.”

“Good. I want you to take everything you ever read about them, everything you think you know and pack it away in a box in your mind.”

"And then?”

Juan Carlo leaned closer, taking advantage of the fact that Kevin was fixated more on watching Nicole that him. “And then I want you to throw that box away ‘cause it means precisely Jack shit!”

Kevin blinked in surprise and, not that they would admit it, but also a little in trepidation as to what in the heck that might mean. But even before they turned around, they knew that Juan Carlo had taken advantage of the moment to leave. They also knew they didn’t stand a chance of finding him as, despite his mild-mannered exterior, Juan Carlo was just too powerful to find unless they wanted to be found. Instead, Kevin pressed back against the wall as Nicole neared. They could vanish, simply vanish as though they had never even been there, and yet… the thought of trying it felt too dangerous. Or Juan Carlo wanted her to think it was so they would leave her be? Kevin didn’t want to test it out though. Tangling with someone capable of destroying something that was supposedly indestructible was above their clearance level, pay grade, skill set, and desire.

Only after the wolf had passed, did Kevin release the breath they had been holding but they in no way felt like they had gotten away with anything as they had clearly seen the way her brown eyes had narrowed and her nostrils had flared in a way that had Kevin feeling like they were moments away from being hunted like a helpless little fluffy bunny.

Everything that Kevin had been led to believe about Werewolves had never felt more wrong than it did right then. They weren’t the mindless beasts that the upper echelon of the boys club they worked for liked to believe. There were power and intelligence there… The ability to see the unseen…

Maybe they were up to the faith that Juan Carlo seemed to have placed in them.

**********

Nicole spared a glance and a cocked ear towards the BBD offices and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that all seemed quiet once more… for the moment at least.

“J.D.”

“Yes, boss?”

“I need you to take a look into any records we have on Bluntline Express.”

“Okay. What am I looking for?”

“Missing person reports. Any complaints filed against the drivers… For now, just anything that seems out of the ordinary with them or along their routes.” Nicole froze at the entrance to her office, her fingertips tapping against the frame as she chased the feeling itching at her brain. “Coordinate with Detective Pietersen too,” she threw over her shoulder. “See if there’s anything there.”

“On it!”

“And J.D. it doesn’t let you off speed duty,” she grinned as his brows snapped together.

“Something going on Tator-Haught?”

“Jesus! Fuck! Wynonna!!”

Wynonna looked entirely too pleased with herself for having caught her off-guard but Nicole decided to allow her her moment as she tried to learn how to breathe again and sat down behind her desk. “How long have you been sitting in the dark just waiting to jump out?”

“Hey, in all fairness, I didn’t jump out,” Wynonna grinned, making exaggerated air quotations as she left the couch and sprawled out on the visitor's chair on the other side of the desk from Nicole. She settled her feet on the top of the desk with enough force to scatter Nicole’s neatly stacked pens. “As to how long…Hmm, fifteen minutes? I came to see the boys but—”

Nicole chuckled as Wynonna’s expressive face went on a journey that left her in no doubt that the tension between Doc and his new phone had only increased when she’d left to patrol. “Yep, sounds like I got out just in time. Seems all quiet now though?”

“That’s ‘cause I told Doc to settle his ass down or he would be sleeping in the barn for a month.” Letting her feet slide off the desk and thud to the floor, Wynonna leaned closer. “Now, what’s going on with the questions about the Bluntline?”

Nicole tilted her head questioningly at the intensity in Wynonna’s voice and writ in every line of her body. “Why does it sound like you’ve got a problem with them?”

“They’re the steed I rode back into town on. The driver was a really creepy assed creep.”

“In what way?”

“Just his behaviour was all off. If he’d gotten sexual or tried anything I would have just decked the dude but he seemed really put out about something. Driving way too slow and then muttering about the time. In the end, I told him to stop complaining and just get the damn bus to Purgatory then he could go jack off or do whatever the hell he needed to do to relax on his own time and he finally started driving normally.”

“Time?” Nicole rubbed her chin at the word, her mind flicking through the story that Kiersten had told her and latching on to the word. “Wynonna, what time was all that going on?”

“Oh hell, Red! I was too busy playing Candy Crush and trying not to stress myself into an early grave about being back, to pay any attention to what time it was,” she waved a hand dismissively. “Now, what’s got you all interested in them?”

Nicole quickly filled Wynonna in on what had happened; the connection between Michelle and Kiersten; how Kiersten had gotten off the bus and her run-in with one of Bluntline’s less than useful drivers.

“Is Mama okay?”

“She’s fine, Earp. Once she got over the shock she was okay. When I left they were having lunch with Kiersten and Gus promised to call all of us if anything changed,” Nicole quickly assured Wynonna before she could leap out of her chair and bolt for the door.

“Okay. Okay. That’s good,” Wynonna let out a breath to calm herself. “So, what is it you think is going on with the driver… or drivers?”

“Honestly, I don’t know if anything is, Wynonna. Just got a nagging feeling that I need to look closer. Right now though all I’ve got is that they’re being negligent assholes… and a very slim link back to Michelle’s time with Juan Carlo.”

“That’s stretching the idea of a slim link to breaking point there don’t you think?”

“Yep. But it’s more than I had to go on before.” Nicole sighed. “It isn’t much but it’s a start.”

“Well, I trust your instincts. If you think there’s something that needs looking into that’s good enough for me. And if you need to rope Doc or Xavier into any schemes… feel free.”

“Since when did you get high enough up to offer BBD resources?”

“BBD? Hell, I just want them separated or out of my hair until Doc figures out that damn phone and sends a dick pic to everyone in his contacts.”

“Get him to send one to Bunny, maybe she’ll faint and leave us all alone.”

“I take it this little lot is all down to Bun Bun?” Wynonna tapped the neatly stacked pile of papers on Nicole’s disgustingly, far too organised desk.

“Yes—”

“I’ve got the perfect solution.”

“Earp!” Nicole pursed her lips at Wynonna’s unrepentant smirk and looked down at the pile of papers sticking out of the garbage can where they had landed. “Swear to god you are part cat. Go on, out! Before I lock you in BBD with Doc and replace the phone he is working _so_ hard to get the hang of with a different model.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Wynonna gasped in horror.

“Try me, Earp,” Nicole grinned back as she shut the door in her face.

“Fine!” Cracking open the door, she stuck her head back in. “I’ll see you later then, Haughtstuff.” Chortling as the wadded up ball of paper Nicole threw bounced off the window, Wynonna sauntered towards the BBD offices and stopped. Eyes narrowing she looked between it, the break room where there was hopefully some doughnuts to be acquired and… the door down to the morgue where she had seen Rosita and Jeremy heading when she had arrived.

Anyone else she might accuse them of getting freaky down there, which was all kinds of wrong in too many ways to think about. But even taking into account the fact that she was pretty convinced Rosita was somewhere on the spectrum, given how often she kept checking out her ass… Jeremy got too damn squirrely at the mention of female body parts and he was a bit of a chicken when it came to the morgue for some reason.

So, what were their freaky nerds doing down there?

**********

A thrill of anticipation thrummed through Waverly’s body, bringing a smile to her lips at the sound of tyres crunching along the road into the village. It was nothing that she hadn’t heard many times that day but she knew through their bond that this vehicle was bringing Nicole to them.

With a quick apologetic smile to Clarke and Alexandria that was met with understanding smirks, Waverly all but skipped across the room to the window to watch as the PSD cruiser, with J.D. behind the wheel, pulled to a smooth halt outside. She could feel Nicole’s warm gaze fixed upon her as she spoke to J.D. briefly and she also felt the sudden tug of tiny hands upon her leggings as all the babies, Cole, Madi, Alice and Michelle included, gathered around her in an effort to see Nicole.

Always close from the moment they had been born, their bond had strengthened and grown in their time together and Waverly had found out when she had arrived there that Wynonna had been spending more time up there with Alice and Michelle. Clarke had said it was as though Wynonna had needed the closeness to them any way she could get it. Waverly liked the thought of that but she knew if she put it to Wynonna she would only huff and splutter in denial but Waverly knew that despite how she had run away for many years, when it came to family, Wynonna was awfully needy.

Waverly scooped Jas up into her arms before the quiet but heartfelt whimper that escaped past the thumb she was sucking on turned into more. At the sight of Nicole, her mood swung straight to the opposite end of the scale and her chubby legs started windmilling and her whimper turned into gurgles of joy too much for one small body to contain.

“Someone is eager,” Clarke chuckled as Jasmin started bouncing in Waverly’s arms.

“She’s not the only one,” Alexandria gently nudged Clarke’s shoulder with her own, drawing her attention to Waverly’s expression. “You’d better get the door, my love.”

Chuckling softly, Clarke did as Alexandria suggested and stepped back. Waverly showed a surprising amount of restraint. More than her expression said she was feeling. The girls, however, had zero chill and raced towards the door and straight into Nicole’s arms as she knelt down in the dirt to greet them.

Waverly made her way out slowly, pausing only long enough to stick her tongue out at Clarke and Alexandria before her eyes locked upon Nicole. The late sun danced and played within the glorious red of her hair as it tumbled and swung around her collar, creating a brilliant halo of light around her face that was outshone by the brightness of her smile and her laugh as she gathered the squirming bodies into her arms. Even Cole and Madi got their turn before they ran off to spread their joy back to their mothers.

“Ahh, there’s my other two angels.” With Kat and Dom hanging from her legs and Mel tucked in her arms, Nicole closed the gap between them. Jasmin all but launched herself into her arms, her tiny fingers grasping onto her uniform shirt as she relayed everything that had happened since the dawn of time in an excited babble.

Nicole caught Waverly’s soft smile as she nodded along and grinned back. They might not be able to understand even a fraction of what Jas was trying to say right then, but they never wanted her or any of them to think for one second that what they were trying to say was anything less than the most important thing in the world.

Once Jas had finished saying what she had to, Nicole watched with a soft smile and Waverly wrapped in her arms as they all ran around and played together.

“Did they behave for you?”

“They were little angels as always… if you hear differently from Anya, ignore her.”

“Oh boy, that sounds like there’s a story right there,” Nicole grimaced nervously.

“It was nothing. Raven’s fault entirely for not securing her homemade fireworks.”

“What!?”

“Clarke, do not tease Nicole so.”

“So, there were no explosives?”

“No,” Clarke chuckled. “Though I think Anya might have welcomed the distraction after babysitting them all a couple of days ago.”

“Anya can be far too dramatic sometimes,” Alexandria stated quietly.

Nicole watched her friend for a moment, taking in the way she was pacing almost nervously, her hands clasped so tightly behind her back that her fingers were white from the strain.

“There’s a lot of people out there,” a un-Alexandria high pitched noise came from her mouth. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Everything is well taken care of,” Alexandria nodded her thanks for the offer. “I think I am in need of a distraction,” she muttered.

“I’m not sparring with you.”

Nicole wished she had never opened her mouth as Alexandria’s forest green eyes darted to hers, a look of anticipation crossing her face.

“No! Al—”

“I think sparring is a fine idea!”

“No, it is literally the worst idea! This is an important day and the last thing you need is to get beaten up beforehand!”

“You are making an _awfully_ big assumption that you can even lay a hand upon me.”

“I was speaking hypothetically! Al—” Nicole tried again as Alexandria beamed at her in anticipation.

“Did you seriously just manage to talk yourself into a sparring session?”

“No! Probably! Yeah…” Nicole shrugged as she tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and smiling sheepishly at Waverly’s chuckle.

**********

Nicole looked up, blinking through the cloud of dust her body had stirred up as she had landed on her back and skidded along. There was a strange noise roaring around that it took a second more than she would have liked to place. But once she did she realised that their sparring had drawn an even bigger crowd than usual that sounded like everyone that had arrived to celebrate Alexandria’s rise to power and the peace she had brokered between them was there watching.

Accepting the offered hand being held out to her, Nicole let Alexandria pull her to her feet once the other woman had assured her that their fight was over. Doing so without that assurance would have probably ended with her being monkey flipped across the sparring area… something she had learned the hard and painful way not long after Alexandria had first started training her.

Nicole gave her a respectful bow and managed to release only a slightly pained sounding grunt as, in an unexpected display of emotions, Alexandria snatched her up in a bone-crunching hug.

It wasn’t an intentional move but Nicole felt any tension brought about by so many people gathered together from clans that were still learning how to coexist and forgive old wrongs dissipate at the sight of their leader so relaxed.

Wrapping her fingers around one of the straps holding the light, leather armour they had decided to spar in, in place, Waverly tugged Nicole towards her. Using the strap further to her advantage, she raised up on her toes to claim a kiss from her poor battered baby. She could taste the light salt of sweat upon her lips and smell the dirt clinging to her but it didn’t put her off one little bit as she pressed closer, searching for the pure taste of vanilla dipped doughnuts.

“Mmmm,” drawing back a little, Waverly bit gently at the curve of Nicole’s lips, eliciting a softly purred growl. “You’re filthy. I think it’s time for a bath and a change of clothing.”

Sliding her hands down to Waverly’s hips, Nicole tugged her closer until their bodies were pressed tightly together. “That sounds like a good idea. You know… you’re kind of filthy too.”

“I am?” Waverly queried in mock shock.

“Mmmhmm. Maybe we should take a bath together?”

“It _would_ be better for the environment.”

“Money saving.”

“It makes perfect sense.”                                                

Deciding to break them up before they got freaky on the ground in front of everyone, Wynonna burst her way in between them and threw her arms across their shoulders. “God! You two are sickening! I would tell you two to get a room but then I wouldn’t see my darling baby sister for another week!”

Rolling her eyes at Wynonna’s theatrics, Nicole poked her in the side and wiggled out from under her arm.  “Off, I’m covered in about fifty layers of dirt and need a bath. Only one Earp is invited to join me and it’s not your top-shelf ass, Wynonna.”

“Fine!” Wynonna called after them as Waverly tossed her a grin and set off after Nicole. “I’ll just entertain myself then!”

“Wynonna, stop being so dramatic!” Michelle cuffed her daughter around the back of the head as she passed by, her other hand tucked within the crook of Xavier’s elbow.

**********

Nicole shifted around slightly on the thick pile of blankets they had spread upon the ground, making herself the most comfortable bed she could for Mel who had flaked out, face down across her chest long before the first of Raven’s fireworks had shot into the night sky. Jas had followed her sister not long after and had curled up on a blanket at her side after she had fluffed it into a nest.

Nicole dreaded to think about just how much explosives Raven had managed to secrete between the trees but she couldn’t deny that they, and the light show the Nymphs were putting on too, was very impressive and a worthy end to the celebrations for that night. Though, she was under no illusions that it was going to continue in one form or another for many more hours as the more hardened revellers continued to dance and drink the night away.

The whole celebration had been surprisingly informal so far with only brief moments where anything remotely like pomp and ceremony had crept in as Alexandria and a few others had made short speeches. Alexandria had already made it clear to everyone that she wanted it to be a day of fun and celebration, not dried out and stuffed with words. Raven had warned everyone that was going to speak that she would set fireworks off up their asses if anyone went over five minutes.

And as no one knew if she was joking or not, they had all erred on the side of caution… Especially as Raven had made dramatic gestures towards reaching for something in her pocket while looking at her watch if she felt that anyone was being too boring to the point that Bellemy, one of the representatives from Skaikru had let out a high pitched scream and thrown themselves to the ground just because Raven had sneezed.

Tilting her head back a little more on the comfort on Waverly’s lap, she watched the play of coloured lights dancing across her face. Nicole purred as Waverly’s fingers combed through her hair. The gentle motion of her blunt nails teasing across her scalp and the nape of her neck almost had her eyes drifting shut.

Waverly smiled softly as first Dom and then Kat drifted closer… Dom being so tired that she rolled and flopped her way across the blanket to seek out the warmth of Nicole’s body. They had played so hard all day it was a miracle that they had lasted as long as they had… Gustus, who had been tasked with keeping guard of their precious babies, hadn’t made it and was snoring away on the floor not even realising that Clarke and Alexandria had taken Cole and Madi off him before the fireworks had started. And really, he should have known better than to fall asleep near Wynonna as she had ‘helped’ Alice and Michelle put pink bows in his beard.

With a flourish of lights that lit the night sky with a joyous rainbow of sparkles, the fireworks display came to an end and the music that had been a backdrop to it grew steadily louder while still holding a lulling harmony that had lovers sharing lingering glances.

“We’ll take care of the little ones if you want to dance,” Michelle offered as she caught the yearning look on her daughter’s face.

“Are you sure?”

“Go, enjoy yourselves,” Gus chuckled softly as she took Melanie into her arms while Michelle took Jasmin and Curtis cradled both Dominique and Katherine in his strong arms. They had never had children of their own but as a couple, they had been blessed all the same, even through the loss and heartbreak, they had Willa, Wynonna and Willa in their lives and now with all the babies and the return of her sister too…

“Hey, there’s no need for that… you’ll have me cryin’,” Curtis sniffed dramatically as he saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Curtis McCready, you are a soft old fool!” Stretching up, moving carefully so as not to jostle the girls, Gus planted a kiss on a cheek lined by laughter and age. “Look at them,” she gazed down at the precious little life in her arms and then at Waverly and Nicole as they moved through the crowd.

There wasn’t much room to move but it was more than okay as they didn’t need much as the beat of the music was a gentle, rhythmic beat that invited closeness. With Nicole’s arms around her though, Waverly was pretty gosh-darn sure that there could have been any music playing and she would have been more than okay with just the closeness and gentle swaying on their bodies with the beating of their hearts as their music.

Taking Nicole’s hand in hers, Waverly spared one last glance back through the crowd to assure herself that everyone was okay and then she tugged, pulling Nicole towards the edge of the crowd and through the trees.

“Got something on your mind, baby?”

“You, always.” Planting her hand against Nicole’s sternum, she pushed her slowly back until she was pressed against a tree, her other hand climbing into the slightly damp curls at the base of Nicole’s skull as they moaned into a deeply passionate and hungry kiss.

“Probably not the best place for this, Waves,” Nicole moaned as Waverly’s teeth dragged against her jaw and nipped at her ear.

“Just one kiss— Ahh!” Her breath stuttered, her body suffusing with heat at the feel of Nicole’s muscular thigh slipping between her own and her knowing mouth sucking small bruises into the crook of her neck.

“Just the one, huh?”

“Nicole! I figure we’ve got ten minutes top before Wynonna or someone comes looking for us. Do you _really_ want to waste that— Mmphh.”

With a heartfelt moan, Waverly threw herself into the passion and almost feverish hunger of Nicole’s kisses and the havoc they were creating upon her senses along with her touch.


	10. Chapter 10

Nicole glanced up from the paperwork she had been working through all morning as the noise of an unknown vehicle engine drifted to her ears as it crossed over the rail tracks that stood watch over the start of that end of the town.

She knew most of the regulars, especially the ones that used that part of the town the most, as well as the ones belonging to the residents that caused the most trouble. But even in a town as small as Purgatory, it was impossible for her to know all the engines of its residence and yet…

She knew even before it made the turn down the street and slowed, that the station was its destination and the scent of the Big City still clinging to its wheels and the strong waft of aftershave, cigarette smoke and coffee was one that, while she didn’t know it as well as many of the others around, she did know it. So it was no great surprise to her at least when Detective Pietersen shuffled his way into the station and was greeted warmly by many of the officers that had served under him that were now hers.

Nicole allowed him his moment with them before rising to her feet and moving to stand in the doorway of her office to greet him.

“Detective Pietersen, what brings you to our neck of the woods?”

“Sheriff Haught,” reaching out, he clasped her offered hand. A shiver ran down his spine at the contact at the power exuding naturally from her now she was no longer making any attempt to hide who and what she was. “Have you got time for a quick chat?”

“Of course. Come on through.”

Nicole watched as he lowered himself down into one of the visitor chairs with a muffled groan. Time had not been kind to him in the short amount of years since she had first met him when he had been sent to investigate after poor Lonnie and so many others at the hand of the Constance Clootie and her thugs. Between that day, the Wendigo’s, and the final battle with Bulshar, he looked to have lived ten years for every one.

There was more going on though. There was a palpable weight weighing unseen but heavily on his shoulders and it didn’t take any special deductive skills to know it had something to do with the manila folder he had clasped in his hands.

“Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee?”

“Got anything stronger?” he asked hopefully.

Nicole felt her eyebrow shoot up a little but she held her tongue and judgement. “Sure… whiskey okay?”

“Anything as long as it’s a healthy shot. Don’t worry,” he smiled wryly at her obvious concern at the obvious, almost desperate, need in his voice. “Got one of my boys driving me today.”

“I wasn’t going to say a thing.”

“I know… you would have just done the right thing and arranged for someone to drive me.”

“Or just gone out and taken the wheels off your ride.” Nicole chuckled as his eyes widened a little. Taking a quick scent of the air she made sure that Wynonna wasn’t anywhere within a two-mile radius and fished out a bottle of the good stuff from its new hiding place. “The resident whisky thief and I are trying to one-up each other,” she explained at his questioning look at her choice of hiding place as she poured a generous shot into a tumbler.

He took the glass into his hands as she slid it across her desk. Trying to restrain himself, he took a sip of the potent liquid and looked around her office instead of downing it of getting lost in the way the light reflected off the amber liquid. He had never had the pleasure of visiting the office when Nedley was Sheriff but he could almost still sense him still there even with the small details that were so obviously Nicole.

The most out of place and Sheriff Nedley item was the stuffed fish on the wall above the desk that looked a bit beat up and worn out around the gills. Whereas the most obviously Nicole things were the pictures on the desk and walls and the decorative throw pillows on the couch. Though, he had the feeling the pillows were more to do with Waverly.

“May I?” he gestured to one of the photos on the desk and picked it up at her nod. He couldn’t help but smile at the joy reflected in all the faces gazing out from the photo. “Lord, those babies have shot up since I saw them last!”

“Yeah. Sometimes I think they grow an inch every time I blink,” Nicole smiled proudly as she remembered back to the events in the photo. “Took that a couple of weeks ago when we had a family picnic. Seconds after that was taken they were covered in jelly, grass, and god knows what else, and I loved them even more,” she chuckled fondly. “But… you didn’t come here to talk about them.”

“Unfortunately not,” he sighed as he carefully placed the photo back on her desk and clasped the folder and the glass of whisky tightly.

“What’s going on?”

Knocking back the shot of whiskey, he put the glass down on the desk, waving aside her offer to top it off even though it would have been welcome. “Ever since we found out about the Wendigo’s killing all those people over the years, I decided to get my department and the station as a whole to pull its head out of collective asses when it came to supernatural things.”

“I take it that didn’t go down to well?”

“You could say that,” he snorted.

“Yeah, there was next to no coverage of anything like that when I was in the academy other than a basic, ‘if it’s not human, it’s bad and to be feared’, attitude.”

“That must have been—”

“Typical of the attitude of just about anywhere I’ve been through,” Nicole sighed. “Purgatory is different than anywhere else I’ve ever known. There are some that aren’t so keen on the number of supernatural beings around but for the most part families around here have just grown up with Werewolves, Witches and Yiska as neighbours and just get on with it. It’s very refreshing.”

“I can imagine,” he sighed. “I wish I could say it was like that in the city. Oh, it’s getting better, but mostly everyone keeps to themselves. Which also means that crimes don’t get reported for fear of backlash. And…”

“And what?”

“Other crimes, ones known to be supernatural… they get brushed aside and lost in the system.”

With teeth gritted, Nicole let out only a soft sound of disquiet at the unfortunate truth of what she was sure was a widespread problem. “I take it you found something someone wanted kept hidden?”

He looked down at the folder gripped tightly between fingers turned white through pressure. Just thinking about what lay within the innocuous buff coloured binding had anger and nausea battling within him but a glance up into her eyes, so full of understanding and non-judgemental calm, grounded him.

“There’s been a lot of backlash about what I was doing… a _lot_ … but when you reached out asking for information I was finally able to put the database of what I’d collected together through a test run.”

Nicole looked at the folder he held out to her across the desk, suddenly reluctant to know what he had found that had him in such a state. She took it with bated breath, the memory of the spell put upon the file about Bulshar weighing heavily on her mind as she put it down on the desk in front of her and opened it up.

Nothing leapt out at her though… which was a pleasant surprise given some of the things that had happened to them.

“May I?” he gestured to the bottle of whiskey and poured himself an unhealthy amount to warm his insides with as she started reading. He could almost tell by the expressions flitting across her face just where she was in it but he stayed silent, content to ip his whiskey and let her ask what she needed to when she was ready.

“This—” Nicole tapped her fingers on the edge of the folder, unconsciously avoiding touching the printed areas upon the pages open before her. “This started in the late fifties?”

“That’s just as far as I could go back with the records available,” he clarified. “There were some that looked similar further back but it was impossible to say for sure and anything further back than nineteen-fifty-one had been archived and lost in a fire for much of the area.”

Nicole dragged a hand over her face. “So, you’re telling me that—for years, god knows how long, there have been between two and four people that have gone missing each year along the same stretch of road and no one bothered to look into it?” She slammed her fist down on the desk in frustration, rattling the framed photos upon it and listing the heads of the officers in the bullpen as they looked towards her office to see what was wrong.

“Listen, I’m not trying to justify the lack of action ‘cause it pisses me off more than I can say too but there weren’t the resources for much of that time that there is now. And at first glance, a lot of the people were passing through and only declared dead years later. Hell, I’ve been looking for anything suspicious and it wasn’t until the right question was asked that it popped out. But, to answer your question… yes.”

“If it’s okay with you, I would like to let Black Badge have a look at this?”

“Anyone else would tell you and Black Badge to go to hell. But then, anyone else would be a fool to do so and I wasn’t raised no fool… or at least not that much of one anyway.”

“I figure there were enough fools hiding the details of what you found… or just plain hiding their head under a rock—”

“More like up their own asses,” he grumbled.

“True,” Nicole nodded in acknowledgement. “I was trying to be diplomatic though,” she grinned wolfishly. “How about we put all that right and get whatever son of a bitch is responsible for all this?”

As they walked the short distance from her office to the door that led into the area claimed by BBD as their own, Nicole could see that despite the whiskey in his system, his stride had gained back some of its vigour and some of its spring now he had unburdened some of the guilt he had claimed over the mishandling or plain negligence that had gone on over the years.

Nicole wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

Sadness for the lives lost tinged with anticipation of solving what had happened over the years and also, hopefully, solving a little more of the puzzle of what had happened to Michelle. For while her story seemed to come together with Kiersten’s by virtue of Juan Carlo, that didn’t mean that either of them had any connection to all the missing people listed in the folder. The sheer number of which weighed heavily upon her.

Somewhere in the region of between a hundred and twenty and two hundred and forty people had gone missing over the years on the stretch of road that lay between the Big City and Purgatory. And that was only looking back as far as the records went with people that had had someone waiting to realise they were missing.

Nicole raised her hand to give the door a quick knock but a familiar scent had her turning to face Wynonna and Xavier as they walked into the station. God only knew how Wynonna was managing not to melt in the heat, dressed as she was in skin-tight, black pleather pants and jacket but she was managing somehow to pull off an air of cool indifference despite her nose been dusted with powdered sugar.

“Hey there, Haughtshot, got a visitor?”

“Wynonna.” Xavier ignored the indignant way his mate sucked on her teeth and shot him a look over the top of her dark sunglasses. “You got a case for Black Badge, Sheriff Haught?”

“I think it’s an ‘everyone’ kind of case, Deputy Marshal Dolls.”

Wynonna looked between them, her brow furrowing into deep creases at the sombre, formal assed tone of their voices and the rigid way they were standing almost to attention. She half expected Xavier to break out a salute of pipe them into the office at any moment.

“Well, come on in then!”

“What. In. The. Actual. Hell?” she drawled softly in confusion as Xavier smiled broadly and ushered them into the office like they hadn’t looked like he was about to challenge Nicole to a draw.

“You coming or not, Earp?” Nicole hid her smirk. Xavier always seemed to get extra posturing when there were people around when it came to his territory and she had long since given up on letting it bother her after he had apologised for it.

“Interdepartmental BDE measure up,” Pietersen whispered in passing.

Wynonna just hoped that meant some kind of friendly pissing contest between them, otherwise, she was at a loss. Whatever it was though, it had passed and everything was calm between them. But as they had confused her, she unceremoniously pushed Doc’s feet off his desk and broke him out of his nap on the way to her desk.

“What in the blue hell!? Oh, good day to you, Nicole. Detective,” tipping his hat at them both, Doc blinked away the last remnants of his disturbed sleep and straightened up somewhat while surreptitiously checking that there were none of the weird Pokéthingies around that Jeremy kept telling him he had to catch. He was quickly drawn away from the screen of his phone however as Nicole and the Detective started to explain why they were there.

“You’re seriously telling me that all these people have gone missing?” Standing up, Wynonna gave her chair a hefty kick that sent it spinning across the room and nearly took Jeremy out on the way.

“It looks that way, yes.”

“And in all the years this was happening no one did a goddamn thing!?” Seething in frustration, Wynonna strained against Xavier’s restraining hold.

“Wynonna, calm down. It’s not his fault. All this started before he was even born, let alone became a cop.”

“I know… it’s just…” huffing sadly, she sagged into his arms. “I’m sorry, dude. This is just so messed up… all those people.”

“It’s sickening,” Pietersen sighed. “The system just wasn’t set up to deal with something like this and when it was… well, I don’t honestly know if it was a cover-up or not but no one wants to talk about it.”

“Well, we’re listening now and we’re going to do everything we can to solve this. Jeremy, could you start crunching the data for us and see if there’s anything on the BBD archives?”

“Here, this might help.”

Jeremy yelped as the Detective tossed a USB stick in his direction. Luckily, Rosita reached out and palmed it easily out of the air before he tried and caused a major disaster. “Thanks, Rosie.”

“Any time, Jer.”

Plugging it into his laptop, Jeremy loaded up the files on the stick and opened them up on the big screen with a whooshing, zipping noise provided by himself that didn’t go down too well. “Sorry, totally wrong time. Wow! Okay, this is some great information. I’ll be able to cross reference this in no time!” He jittered around eagerly in his seat as he tapped at his keyboard, calming a little only when Rosita placed a hand on his shoulder drew his attention to his actions.

“Right, what have you got for us, nerd?”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Grand Wizard of Nerds.”

“Not what I was going for,” Jeremy grumbled to himself. “But!” With a flourish, he cleared the big screen and threw up information in an order he preferred. “One timeline complete with any locations or general map locations as well as photographs of the missing people, demographics—”

“Wait! Go back two photos!”

Wynonna frowned in confusion and glanced at Doc and Xavier as Nicole damn near leapt across the room to peer closer at the screen as Jeremy did as he asked. Doc tipped his hat up and studied the screen and Nicole closer while Xavier did his gruff frown and shrugged his broad shoulders.

“What’s got your attention, Haughtstuff?”

“Go through the photos, Jer. Slowly!”

Nicole sagged weakly back, thankfully finding the support of a desk rather than the hard floor as she wasn’t sure she would have been able to stop herself. Picture after picture of the missing flew by and with each one, nausea rose sharply within her.

“I’m gonna—” Pushing off from the desk, Nicole staggered away from the screen and then sprinted for the door, faintly hearing the crack and splinter of wood and glass as she yanked it open and hurried for the bathroom.

With eyes fixed upon the door hanging crookedly on twisted hinges, Wynonna fished her phone from her pocket and dialled her sister without looking.

“Hey… Erm, Waves, nothing terribly wrong but you might want to get down to the station,” she winced at how stilted and terrible a sounding a voice message it was to leave.

“Already here!” Waverly skidded to a halt at the door. “Bathroom?”

“Bathroom,” Wynonna confirmed to the empty doorway. She stared at it for a moment, contemplating following them but she knew that Nicole was in good hands. Turning her attention back to the others she looked at the screen, wondering what it was about the photographs that had made her friend react like that.

**********

Steadying her breathing, Waverly stopped just for a moment at the doorway to the station restrooms.

She had felt the sudden rise of panic overwhelming Nicole all the way from Kiersten’s place where she had been having a late lunch with Mama and had leapt from her seat and tore down the middle of the road to get to the station in such a rush that she was pretty sure she owned several people an apology.

They could all wait though. Right then, all she cared about was Nicole. Waverly could hear as Nicole moved from one of the toilet stalls to the sinks and started the taps running. Even above the force of the water, she could hear the heart-breaking sobs and whimpers being wrenched from her and feel the disquiet still running through her.

Easing open the door, she slid through as soon as it was open enough. Closing it just as quietly, she locked the door to assure them as much privacy as Nicole needed.

“Nicole?” Crossing the small room, Waverly gently placed her hand upon Nicole’s back. A shudder ran through her tense muscles under the gentle motion of her hand as she stood there, hunched over the sink, water dripping from her downbeat face as she gripped the edge of the sink so tightly her fingers were whiter than the ceramic.

“Hey, baby,” Nicole lifted her head to meet Waverly’s concerned gaze in the mirror hanging above the sink. Even to herself, her eyes looked too big and startled, her face a pale, washed out, ashen colour.

“What happened, baby?”

“I—” Just trying to think about it brought it rushing back again; all the feelings and emotions that had led to her running for the bathroom in the first place. Clamping her mouth shut, Nicole held up a finger and twisted out from under Waverly’s touch to hurl herself towards the toilet again.

Waiting only long enough to wet a handful of paper towels, Waverly pressed them to the back of Nicole’s neck and held her hair back while she wretched and dry heaved until she ran out of steam and sagged to the floor.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you. You’re okay,” she whispered the words over and over again like a mantra as she held Nicole gently until she felt the storm raging through her mind start to calm and she took a shuddering breath. “Hey, you’re not pregnant are you?” She smiled as her question had the hoped-for response and Nicole let out a chuckle.

“Could you help me up? Want ta rinse my face off.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm. Please.”

Shouldering Nicole’s weight, Waverly helped her to stand and get her shaking limbs heading in the right direction. It took a lot to knock even the weakest of their kind down and Nicole was far from being the weakest. To see her so shaken and distressed was… distressing and worrying and Waverly wanted to know what was going on. As Nicole quieted though, Waverly could also tell that she was trying to piece together what had happened herself.

Over and over again, Nicole filled her hands with cold water from the taps and ordered her thought as she let it wash over her face. She felt the press of cold towels return to the back of her neck and the warm stroke of Waverly’s hand running soothing, sweeping patterns across her back and arm, her very presence soothing her.

When she eventually felt calm enough to speak, Nicole slowly dried off her face. Using the sink for support, she leaned into it, her hands working restlessly as they unfolded the damp paper towel, smoothing it out before wadding it up again.

“Detective Pietersen turned up earlier.”

“Oh?”

“We put a call in asking for info on missing people or anything strange going on and he found something. A lot of something.” Swallowing hard, Nicole turned away from her reflection in the mirror and allowed herself to feel the soothing motion of Waverly’s fingers running through her hair. “We don’t know if it has anything to do with Mama but there have been a lot of people going missing on the road between Purgatory and the Big City over the years.”

Waverly gasped as she heard the echo of just how many and how long flow to her unbidden through their connection.

“Jeremy… he got it all set up on his laptop… pictures of all the missing. Waverly… there are so damned many!” She gripped the edge of the sink hard in frustration and pain again. “And… Waves, my nightmares—”

“What about them? Talk to me, Nicole,” she begged her softly, asking to be let in so she could help. “Let it out.” She moved closer, offering her support at the same time as she tried not to give her the space to think and breathe.

“I-I didn’t know what they were about. Everything just faded away as soon as I opened my eyes. But. Seeing the photos… I’ve been dreaming about them! Seeing their faces. Hearing their names. Watching them die. I don’t know why but it brought it all back in one great big rush and…” grimacing, she waved a hand around in agitation to encompass where they were right then.

“What? How? Why have you been dreaming about them?”

“I’ve no idea, Waves,” Nicole growled. “I wish I did. I’m not blaming your Mama. She’s as much as a victim as anything but…” wadding up the paper towel one last time, she threw it angrily towards the trash can, for once not caring if it went in or not. “I feel like we’re being toyed with and I’m starting to get awfully pissed off about it!”

**********

Wynonna looked up as Nicole and Waverly came back through the still slightly, despite Xavier’s best efforts, eschew office door. Really, she didn’t need to look as she could damn near feel the energy flowing from Nicole pushing against her body. With how her friend had run out from there, it was worth the look to see the fire and determination in her eyes again as she strode towards them. After the revelations revealed by Pietersen’s extra-curricular investigation into all things supernatural and spooky in that apparently extra-cursed slice of Canadian wilderness, Wynonna needed all the fire and goody-two-shoes determination she could get from Nicole to push aside the darkness.

‘Your girl okay?’ she mouthed the words as Waverly sat on the desk next to her and leaned against her. Waverly gave something of a grimace that was quickly pushed aside by a look of determination equal to Nicole’s and a firm nod of her head.

“She will be. I’ll make sure of it,” she whispered softly as she watched Nicole bend to speak with Jeremy and Rosita who seemed to be in charge of whatever was happening at the laptop.

“We all will, Babygirl.”

“Okay,” Nicole cleared her throat slightly as she straightened up and faced everyone. “Sorry about that,” she apologised even though she could see no judgement on any of their faces. “Since the day I blacked out,” she paused for a moment to allow Pietersen to ask for clarification but the lack of questions told her that news of that had made it to him already… which was probably not surprising as many of her officers knew him. “I’ve been having nightmares. Really, really bad nightmares but I haven’t known what they were about… until now. Jeremy.”

Unwilling to see their faces and be confronted by the enormity of it all again right then, Nicole kept her back to the screen as Jeremy pulled up the photographs she had quickly picked out.

“All of them… Young women between twenty and thirty years of age, all of them travelling alone. They were what my nightmares were about. I don’t know how but since that day I ‘blacked out’ I’ve been seeing how they, and quite a number that aren’t up there died.”

“Could it have been those Wendigo bastards?”

“No, they operated further North-West and only took people in the forest. Their territory was vast but they stuck to it to avoid stepping onto Wolf or Yiska ground and drawing attention. This, whatever this is, it’s got a very specific hunting ground and needs when it comes to its victims.”

“A ‘normal’ serial killer rather than something supernatural?” And Pietersen felt very weird being almost hopeful at the thought that it was just a run of the mill human responsible. That he was trained for but when it came to anything else, his training and experience was woefully inadequate.

“Could be but… well, this has been going on a long time,” Xavier growled. “That’s not to say that someone now in their seventies or eighties might not have an apprentice or that there couldn’t be a copycat but with how this has stayed out of the spotlight for so long it doesn’t feel like it. Jeremy, Rosita, would you get working on a search of the Black Badge archives on what it could be from what we now know?”

“On it, boss!”

“Waverly, would you mind helping out with some research too?”

“Oh boy, does that mean you’re going to need the murder board getting out of storage again?”

“With the girls around?”

“You’re right, the little ankle biters would probably eat it.”

“Anyway!” Xavier cocked an eyebrow at them in an attempt, all be it a foolish one, to regain some level of control over them and the situation. “I would like you to see what you can find out about the coach service… Bluntline Express? If what happened to Kiersten is related to what happened to all of them, then that’s our best lead.”

“It would be more accurate to say that it is our only lead,” Doc grumbled.

“I’ll see if I can find anything out from our end, bring some of the other forces in, see if they’ve got any more missing and coordinate everything back with Agent Chetri. You’ll keep me in the loop?”

“All the way,” Xavier assured him.

“Nicole?” Sliding off the desk, Waverly made her way to Nicole’s side. She was too quiet, her eyes looking off into the distance as her mind raced too fast but too quietly for Waverly to get more than quick flashes. “Baby?”

“Hmm?” Turning her head, Nicole leaned into the touch of Waverly’s hand where it cupped her cheek.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Too damn much I think,” she grimaced wryly. “But, I think I need to go back to where I had my blackout.”

“Now?”

“No, in the morning. Too much going on in my head right now and I want it a little clearer before I go out there.”

Seeing Pietersen shaking hands with Xavier, Nicole gave Waverly’s hand a quick squeeze and pressed her lips to her palm. “Let me just go see Pietersen off and I’ll be right back.”

Waverly watched them leave the room, the feel of Nicole’s fingers caressing over hers before their hands were forced to part, and her soft, dimpled smile lingering long after she had gone from sight.

Her mind raced at the thought of getting down to some research. A list of all the books she would need from the depths of the town library and the websites she could search through twinkled like enticing lights through her mind.

“Ya know, Waves. It’s kind of disturbing how turned on you get by the thought of research. You’re doing the same excited humming you used to do when you came home from school with a mountain of homework,” Wynonna explained at the distracted, quizzical expression on her baby sister’s face.

“I seem to remember that you didn’t mind my fondness for learning when you used to dump your homework on me.”

“Shush! Anyway, I was simply being a good sister and encouraging you to follow your passion.”

“Mhm. More like, you were using the time to practice your skills at stealing booze from Shorty’s and doing a little light B and E on the side.”

“Waves! Not where all the narcs can hear you!” Wynonna hissed loudly as Xavier threw her a disapproving look. She stuck her tongue out at him. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know all her dirty secrets anyway but sometimes, especially since he had been dragged back into the Black Badge fold, he could get a bit of a stick stuck up his ass about the shadier times of her life. “Hey, didn’t you have a Mama, daughter lunch date thing today?”

“Ohhhh, poop!” Bolting from the office, Waverly stopped long enough to give Nicole a hurried explanation and a kiss that was nowhere near long enough before retracing her steps back along the street.

“There is never a dull moment when your heart belongs to an Earp,” Doc smiled as he drew to a halt at her side he patted Nicole on the shoulder hard enough to stagger her a little as Waverly hurried away, leaving behind the feeling of delight and joy she always seemed to bring with her.

“Nope,” Nicole drawled back at Doc’s insightful pearl of wisdom and a soft chuckle.

“Nicole, if you wouldn’t mind the company, it would be my pleasure to head on out there with you in the morning. Safety in numbers and all that.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Nicole smiled at him gratefully for the offer. She had no real problem going up there and seeing if there was anything to be found but she couldn’t deny that the company would be welcome.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doc, Nicole and Charlene go on a mission together.

Rain pattered against the landscape, creating a welcome break to the summer’s heat that had been baking the whole of Purgatory for the good part of a month. Nicole lay sprawled out on her front, her eyes still closed as she clung to the remnants of sleep in defiance of the morning she could feel encroaching. She wiggled her spine slightly as the cooled air blowing in through their bedroom window eased across her body, bringing with it the scent of petrichor from the rain dampened ground.

Waverly was less than impressed though. Really, it amazed Nicole how determined Waverly had been to spend the night out on the snow-covered roof that night after she had first tracked her to her home, when the slightest dip in temperature had her reaching for as many extra blankets as she could find at night and going into cocoon mode like a bear about to hibernate.

Of course, Waverly was also strangely fond of wearing crop tops in the middle of winter so Nicole was always left guessing with her.

Out of her wolf form and not dressed for fashion, sleepy-Waverly shivered beneath her layer of covers hard enough for Nicole to feel it vibrating through the mattress. And before she could stir enough to reach for one of the many blankets rucked down at the bottom of the bed, she had her hands quite literally full as Waverly seemed to somehow move without even moving and wrapped herself around her with strong arms and legs in full koala mode.

Nicole simply smiled and snuggled down, her hands wandering along the dips and curves of Waverly’s body as Waverly’s sweet, warm breath puffed out gently against the base of her throat where her face was tucked in tightly against her. She didn’t intend of being anything other than soothing, but the feel of Waverly pressed so snuggly against her and moan that rose up through Waverly to spill against her flesh ignited a heat within Nicole that had her fingers curling around the back of Waverly’s thigh, easing her closer as her hips canted without volition against Waverly.

Their bodies and mouth moved languidly together, sleep still clinging to them even as their touch slowly grew more urgent and searching.

An equally urgent cry coming from the girl's bedroom had them pausing, their breaths panting together, their foreheads touching as their eyes opened and flickered towards the door as they waited to see if the girls would settle down again.

With a wry chuckle, Nicole pressed her lips to Waverly’s smiling mouth before levering herself reluctantly away from the warmth of Waverly’s body when it became obvious that someone was plotting a grand escape.

“No, it’s okay. It’s still early, you relax a bit longer while I go wrangle them up and get ready before Doc gets here,” she urged as Waverly made to get up too.

Pulling Nicole’s pillow against her, Waverly breathed in the scent of her as she snuggled back down into the covers and watched through eyes already drifting shut as Nicole hastily tugged on some sweatpants and a top before closing the window to shut the cool air out.

“Thanks, babe,” she mumbled huskily.

Chuckling softly at the soft snore that quickly followed her words, Nicole quietly left the room and scooped up Dom as she rushed past the door. “Come ‘ere, munchkin!” Tucking her happily giggling daughter under one arm, she made her way to their bedroom to see what mischief was afoot.

“And what are you little monsters up to?” Her mock stern voice lasted all but a second as chubby arms lifted and their voices babbled for her attention. “Okay, let’s get you lot up and fed.”

**********

Cursing softly under his breath, Doc thudded is fist against the top of the dashboard and huffed in relief as the wipers finally stopped their infernal back and forth motion across the windscreen.

It had taken him forever to get them to finally work that morning only for the rain to stop minutes later while the wipers had refused to cooperate once more, leaving him to endure a journey punctuated with a cacophonous squeal of the rubber blades scraping upon dry glass that not even his beloved cassette player turned all the way up had managed to drown out.

Climbing from behind the wheel, Doc straightened his hat upon his head and patted the shining red of Charlene’s roof fondly. The old gal might be getting on in years and okay, she was a tad temperamental at times, but he would take her quirks any day over something like Xavier’s hulking SUV. Which, while being more reliable, in his opinion it sorely lacked style and personality.

Following the sounds of childish merriment, Doc made his way around to the kitchen door rather than the front and rapped his knuckles upon it a couple of times before entering.

Knowing how tricky it could be for three grown adults to wrangle their own two precious and very precocious babies, he couldn’t help but marvel at how well Nicole was managing single handed with four. Not that they weren’t a handful as that was obvious by her grateful expression as Dom and Kat launched themselves across the room to latch on to his legs and attempted to climb him like a tree.

“Oh, thank god! Doc, keep those two hellions occupied for a moment while I go change these two and finish getting ready!”

“Take all the time you need, Nicole. It will be an honour and a pleasure to watch over such fine little ladies.” Swinging them up into his arms, Doc nuzzled into the softness of their necks, breathing in the scent of baby powder, lavender and vanilla there. Their shoulders scrunched up, squeals and giggles of joy erupting from them as he tickled them with his moustache.

All too soon, Nicole returned and took the little bundles of moustache grabbing delight off his hands and took them upstairs to join their sisters. Going by the location of the soft giggles and the familiar voices, he guessed that Waverly was settling them down in the bed with her rather than putting them back in their room.

“I am a might surprised that Waverly is not arisen by now? Long night? Not that I’m enquiring about anything that may or may not have taken place in the bedroom!” he blustered once he realised how that might sound. “I am not Wynonna.”

“Calm your ‘stache down, Doc,” Nicole chuckled as the bushy item gracing his top lip threatened to fly off his face with all the vigorous contortions his lips were doing. “Usually she would be up and about but she didn’t get to bed all that early.”

“Research?” he guessed.

“Research,” Nicole smiled fondly. “She would probably still be hunched over the books and eyeball deep down a Google search if I hadn’t thrown her over my shoulder and taken her upstairs. To sleep!” she clarified as his lips quirked again.

“Eventually!” Waverly called down.

“Waves!” Nicole groaned, her face no doubt going a bright red as Waverly’s chuckles from above and Doc’s merged together. She threw a hasty “see you later” over her shoulder and dragged Doc outside. “You couldn’t have borrowed Xavier’s SUV or Wynonna’s truck?”

“Wynonna won’t let me drive her truck but never you fear, Nicole. Charlene will get us where we need to go.”

“Yeah… But will she make it back?” Nicole muttered under her breath as she opened the slightly creaky passenger door and climbed inside to settle herself on the slightly worn but lovingly cleaned seat.

“Remind me again, Nicole. How many vehicles have been damaged or written off since you came to Purgatory?”

“Hey! Low blow, dude. And in all fairness, very few of those were my fault!”

“Mhmm,” he drawled out slowly as Nicole slouched down in her seat with a soft, childish pout puckering her lips. Offering up a silent prayer, he turned the key in the ignition and stroked the steering wheel fondly as Charlene started at the first try and didn’t stall as he put her in gear and started to reverse off the drive.

“Hey, Doc… does this thing come with a player I can hook my phone up to?”

“No, it does not.”

“A CD player?”

“No.”

“A radio that _doesn’t_ tune into Johnny Cash automatically?”

“ _That_ , Nicole, is the cassette player!” Doc huffed in great offence as she teasingly disparaged his choice of music.

“Doc?”

“What?”

“You do know it isn’t raining right? There’s no need to have the wipers on.”

“I will make you walk home.”

“Doc… Are we there yet?”

Rolling his eyes, Doc pulled on a pair of shades and hid behind them as though they would block his hearing from her teasing too. “You, have been spending too much time with Wynonna,” he finally grouched good-naturedly. “But,” he warned with a wag of his finger, “I will not have you saying anything bad about Charlene like the others do.”

“Oh, I like Charlene,” Nicole assured him. “The thing to remember with these kind of girls… You have to know just how and where to touch them and which buttons to press, to get the right response,” she purred… Then with a flick of her finger, she turned off the wipers.

“Son of a…” Doc glowered at the switch he had somehow managed to forget to turn off.

“Nope, I like Charlene… I just think you have questionable taste in music.”

“Smart ass.”

As the miles past beneath the rubber of Charlene’s tyres, it was impossible to miss as their random chatter about everything and nothing became stilted and faded away as Nicole grew quieter and tenser.

“What are you hoping to find along here, Nicole?”

“Honestly? I have no idea, Doc,” shaking her head, Nicole returned to her silent perusal of the landscape visible from the window at her side.

“It is not on the route of the Bluntline Express. Nor is it where any of the women went missing.”

“No,” she sighed. “Just have a gut feeling though. “Maybe I’m just hoping there will be some kind of explanation as to why I blacked out that day. Takes a hell of a lot to knock us down and mess with our memory like that.”

“Magic of some kind?”

“Could be. We’ve seen more than our share of that kind of thing around here and had it aimed at us more than any of us would like. No one likes this road, Doc. No Wolves run the woods around it. And yet no one thinks to ask why. I never thought to ask why… Why I couldn’t remember what had happened before I crashed into a tree? Why I didn’t carry on looking for the church? Why—”

“Why what?” he asked softly as she suddenly stopped speaking.

“Why there’s been a couple of times when I’ve felt sure that I’ve been watched… at home and in town. It feels like if I could just turn my head fast enough I could catch someone right there out the corner of my eye,” she growled softly at the memory of the feeling.

A feeling of foreboding washed through Doc, raising the hair all over his body as he looked through the protection of Charlene’s windows at the landscape beyond.

“Slow down, Doc. We’re coming up to where I ‘crashed’.” Not even bothering to hide the bite to her tone born of frustration, Nicole air-quoted around the word with a sharp motion of her fingers.

Following Nicole's directions, doc pulled Charlene over ahead of the tree she had supposedly crashed into. After so much time there was unlikely to be anything in the way of any kind of evidence left but there was more around than normal human science could detect.

The sight of the damage to the tree was both a chilling reminder of what had happened and also… surprisingly light considering that she had still been showing signs of injury when they had found her. With Nicole's abilities, she should have been healed completely unless she had suppressed them herself, or the SUV would have been bent around the tree. Nicole's frown and muttered ‘that doesn't add up at all’ told him that she had reached the same conclusion.

Crouching down, Nicole ran her eyes and the tips of her fingers over the groves left in the softer earth at the side of the road by her tyres. Scooping up some of the dirt, she let it flow back between her fingers to the ground and let her sense of smell take over.

She could smell the dirt around… obviously. But beneath that, she could smell the scents dragged along by her SUV that day all the way back to a faint trace of their home like a map of her journey that day.

“I was in the trees before I ended up here.”

“The church ruins you looked at before?” Doc knew that wasn't what she was talking about but he wanted to jog her instincts further.

“No. That was a different scent up there. The ruins were typical of old consecrated ground but where I had to park up was rich with the scent of moose and bear scat.”

“Lovely,” Doc grimaced.

“Exactly,” Nicole chuckled slightly. “Very potent. This,” she scented the tips of her fingers where the dirt lingered, pulling it in through her nose and into her mouth. “This is… unnatural.”

With the scent in her nose, Nicole dusted her fingers off against her pants as she rose smoothly to her feet and tried to track the scent back along the road but too much time had passed to get more than the feeling that she _might_ be on the right track.

“You know… while my Wolf senses might not be on par with your own, Wynonna has said before that I could track down a dildo in a nunnery. I am not sure if she is making a commentary about their habits or my skills but,” he shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Nicole jogged across the empty road to Doc’s side and looked at the ground. At first, she didn’t see it, but as he pointed it out she made out the tyre marks he had seen. Without an expert there, they could have been marks left by just about any SUV but, even if they weren’t from hers, the fact that they vanished up through the trees off the side of the road… apparently passing either side of a tree without veering off course, marked them as not being in the least bit normal.

“Fancy a hike?”

Doc, tipped his hat back, his eyes narrowing as he studied the lay of the land as it rose up through the trees. It wasn’t that would stretch them even without their agility and strength but it did not look overly inviting either. That was not a thought that should have pleased him but Doc found himself grinning in anticipation of the hunt ahead. “It is a _fine_ day for one now that the rain is over with.”

The temperature dipped slightly as they stepped beneath the shelter of the trees, raising the hair on the back of Nicole’s neck. Scenting the air, she kept a careful watch all around as they moved silently, their only communication coming in the form of small gestures and just knowing each other from their runs as a pack.

They reached the top reasonably quickly and Nicole was left with a sense of disappointment when there was nothing to be seen other than trees.

Trees…

And a nagging feeling telling her she should leave.

“Looks like we were mistaken, Nicole. Nothing here at all. Maybe we should just head on back?” Even as he spoke the words, Doc frowned at the thought, his ire and hackles rising at the thought that the desire to leave was not his own.

He opened his mouth to comment but Nicole was already almost upon him, her teeth pointed and bared in a snarl, her eyes full of fury as they shifted to their solid form. Her hand struck out…

…grasping and tangling in the suit jacket of a woman standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder.

Yanking themselves loose, Kevin scrambled back in shock and actual fear for their life as the two Wolves advanced on them with looks on their faces that dared them to try and make a move they didn’t like. How had they seen them? They should not have been able to see them!

“Why is it the bad guys never wear jeans?” Nicole snarled as she took in the tailored suit the woman was wearing. Not exactly the kind of attire for hiking in.

“I can assure you, Nicole, Kevin is not one of the bad guys. And, despite the fact that I do wear jeans, neither am I.”

Doc spun around, a growl curling over his teeth as he eyed the older gentleman with the soft-spoken, friendly voice that had appeared behind them where no one had been a moment before. “And just who in tarnation are you?”

“That’s Juan Carlo,” Nicole spoke for him without taking her eyes off the smartly suited woman before her.

“Come, I’ve got some coffee brewing or I’m sure there’s some tea if you would prefer?”

Doc grunted, his head swimming alarmingly as Juan Carlo walked past him and the air shimmered. Where moments before there had been nothing but trees, there now stood a small house and a pretty white church in a clearing.

“I promise, I will tell you what you need to know.”

“Don’t be a fool! _They_ will not take kindly to this inter— Agchhh!” Kevin spluttered, their voice cutting off as quickly as the air to their lungs did as the female whipped out a hand and closed it around their throat.

“The time for talking is long past due. But you can leave if you want, Kevin.”

“Oh no,” Nicole growled, “Kevin stays. I insist.”

Kevin gulped, or at least they tried to, as the wolf gave a grin that was pure feral anticipation backed by a glimpse of impressively sharp canines and a scratch of claws around the back of their neck.

“Drinks all round then!” Smiling invitingly, Juan Carlo gestured towards his home where seats enough for all were waiting on the porch. “Please.”

They finally started moving but he wasn’t fool enough to believe that meant they trusted either of them. What they wanted was answers and he had offered to give them just that.

And while he liked Kevin will enough, he would be lying if he denied even to himself, feeling some amount of pleasure on seeing them humbled by Nicole’s abilities. There was a dangerous and elitist opinion ride amongst his kind; the belief that they were somehow just plain better than everything and everyone else; untouchable.

It was a belief that left them stagnating and unchanging, apart from everyone, when in actual fact, all around them, everyone changed and grew stronger.

Fortunately for Kevin, Nicole was close to being the perfect balance of strength and humility. She would not hurt Kevin even if they did act the fool and think to cause trouble. Not that he was going to let Kevin in on that fact. It would do them good.

“Juan Carlo, don’t be a fool!” Kevin hissed urgently as Nicole released her grip enough for them to catch their breath.

“My mind is made up, Kevin. Now sit down why don’t you and let us talk?” He fixed them with a hard look until they finally, reluctantly, deigned to sit down. He was sure they were going for a condescending expression but it just came off as pouting and surprisingly youthful for a being that was ancient and ageless.

“Talking is one thing…” holding out a hand, Nicole stopped Juan Carlo before he could pour a drink into the mug before her on the table. When he finally looked at her quizzically she finished speaking. “But, will we get to remember what was said this time?”

“Ahh, you’re starting to remember then?” He nodded in pleasure and started to fill her mug despite her initial refusal when she took her hand away to sit back.

“Somewhat,” Nicole shrugged. “I remember what you told me about Michelle and how you saved her life. I take it you’re somehow responsible for all the nightmares I’ve been having about the women?”

“I had hoped that you would remember more but—”

“We are forbidden to interfere,” Kevin finished.

“And that vile creature hasn’t been doing just that for all these years?!” Juan Carlo bit back.

Kevin sighed, knowing full well their friend’s opinion… even agreeing with him but… “They will punish you for this! Maybe even erase you from existence!”

“A price well worth paying to save yet more innocent lives!”

“We can protect you… Who is this ‘they’ that you speak of?”

“Beings outside of the understanding of creatures such as yourselves, Mr Holliday.”

“Kevin!” Juan Carlo barked at them in annoyance.

“People are dying!” Nicole gritted out through clenched teeth, her frustration getting the better of her. “Thanks to Juan Carlo here I’ve had how they died playing out in my head and even if I hadn’t seen and felt their pain as they were played with and ripped apart I would know it needs to stop! And if you and the mysterious ‘they’ you work for or with can’t see that then they are not worth one more second of my time… and neither are you!”

Juan Carlo didn’t need to see the anger clouding Nicole’s expression or hear the growl rumbling through her words to know that she was frustrated by Kevin’s attitude being heaped on top of everything else as he felt it himself. He didn’t have time to navigate around everything though as he was sure that the idiots that thought they knew better were already locked in a heated debate on the best way to smite him for every word out of his mouth.

Time had little meaning from beings older than time and yet, right then, they had none to waste.

“Walk with me, Nicole.”

“Go,” Doc gestured for Nicole to follow Juan Carlo as he left the porch and walked towards the church with a slow but determined stride. “I’ll keep an eye on our ‘friend’ here.”

Catching up to Juan Carlo, Nicole matched her stride to his. He looked so calm, his heavily lined, time-worn face seemingly always on the verge of a soft, welcoming smile. His eyes though… while still welcoming, they were eyes that had seen a lot and they were saddened by what they had seen.

“I would like to offer my apologies for my young friend. They won’t admit it but they are afraid—”

“Kevin is old enough to speak for themselves,” out of respect, Nicole followed Juan Caro’s clues when it came to Kevin’s pronouns. “If they don’t think they need to apologise then it should not be up to you to do it for them.”

“Quite right,” Juan Carlo nodded slightly, pleased with her maturity even though he had expected nothing less. “I would still like to offer you that apology though. For my own actions and not Kevin’s,” he stated as they reached the doors to the church. Gripping the handles worn by centuries of use by his own hands, he opened the doors and breathed in the feeling of peace that always settled over him as he did so.

Nicole remained on the threshold as Juan Carlo stepped inside. She could sense nothing waiting in ambush inside but there was just a feeling about the place that was different than any other church she had seen or stepped inside… and that wasn’t just because it had appeared to them out of thin air.

Though it didn’t help either.

It just felt like stepping through the doors would change something and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“Come in. I assure you, it is quite safe to do so.”

Nicole frowned, still not entirely convinced she believed that, but she stepped through the door anyway so they could talk. The breath caught in her throat in a way that wasn’t exactly unpleasant but it had a growl rising within her anyway at the sensation of stepping through thicker air.

From the doorway, Nicole had caught a glimpse inside at tipped over and broken pews covered in a layer of thick dust and cobwebs. But the room she looked around at, was nothing like what she had seen.

Turning slowly on the spot, Nicole took it all in.

The only dust within was the motes that danced within the beams of sun pouring through the windows. While the pews now sat straight and perfect all facing the front where a worn alter table and a tall wooden pulpit stood commanding attention.

The feel of the whole room was warm and inviting instead of cold and seeped in pious propriety like many churches she had been within. All it lacked was a congregation and as she turned her head, Nicole could almost swear that she could see them out of the corner of her eyes; women in their Sunday finery all stepped out of times long gone, with fidgety children tugging on their skirts all waiting to be set loose and released from the constraints of the occasion and their too tight clothing.

The other thing that was missing… that came into view as she finished her turn and looked at Juan Carlo.

Gone was the trucker/farmer chic and in were the long black robes of a preacher. And although they looked like they too belonged back in the 1800’s… he never looked more real than he did right then.

“Who— What, are you?”

“Please, take a seat and I will explain.”

“Erm, no, not my style,” Nicole shrugged. Not her style and she was almost afraid that she would sit on the ghost, afterimage or whatever the hell it was, of one of the people she had seen or get trapped with them. Either way, she was in no hurry to sit down.

“Well, okay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“What do you… Well, shit—” Nicole sat down on the nearest pew with a heavy, boneless thud and stared into the light filling the church that emanated from the pearlescent white wings sprouting from Juan Carlo’s back.

Winged beings shouldn’t have been that big of a deal, after all, she was friends with some Harpies. But, while they were awe-inspiring, they didn’t feel like they came with the sound of a trumpet and a host of heavenly— _them_ heralding their arrival.

“You— you’re an angel?”

“Yes.”

“Okay…” Nicole nodded. “Cool. What about Kevin?”

“Kevin is an angel too, yes.” He smiled as Nicole’s eyes actually widened more at that than his own reveal. “I must say, Nicole, you are handling this quite well.”

“Mhh, with what we’ve seen here I’m just glad to find that there is something working on the other side of all the darkness. You do work on the side of good right?”

“Actually—”

“No, don’t tell me. You’re forbidden from interfering?”

“A good rule in theory as it prevents us from just taking over… free will and all that. In practice though, it doesn’t always work as well as it should.”

“Go on.”

Tucking his wings back out of sight, Juan Carlo moved and sat beside her on the pew. “My function here, my job, if you will, is to shepherd lost souls to the other side.”

Nicole ran his words through her mind. “Wait… You’re the angel of death?”

“ _A_ angel of death. There are unfortunately far too many deaths at any one moment for just one of us to do the task alone. And no, I don’t go around dressed like the grim reaper with the hood and scythe… Okay, sometimes on Halloween I do,” he cleared his throat at her thoroughly unimpressed expression. “One of my areas, when I am needed, just happens to run along the highway between Purgatory and the Big City where I help shepherd along the souls lost to accidents along the way.”

“You’ve been busy then. You haven’t been helping some along before their time?”

“No I have not!” he barked out in great offence.

“Had to ask.”

“Well, I would never do such a thing… but something is out there taking souls before their time. Actually taking their souls, Nicole,” he shuddered, his shoulders sagging in pain. “You have no idea— It is a great privilege, a heart-breaking one at times, to help a soul move on. But for years now I have found bodies… Not only are they being murdered in the most brutal of ways… And I am sorry you got to see that, it was not my intention for you to see that. But their souls have been taken… To be stripped of their souls like that they can never know peace. I have tried so often but time and again I get told not to interfere and punished for it when I tried even though something so obviously already is.”

“Kiersten?”

“Yes. We were already out that night, Michelle and I. Just enjoying a drive when we came across her. We were just about to pass her by when I felt it and knew she was going to die at its hands. _They_ would have wanted me to just keep driving but I could feel the difference. It is hard to explain,” he huffed. “But I just knew and I couldn’t in all good conscience leave her there so we picked her up and brought her to Purgatory where we knew she would be safe. And she is,” he smiled. “Her life is back on track as it should have been.”

“And they punished you for that?”

“They did,” he sighed. “Worse though was that it made no difference. The very next night it stole the soul of another young woman anyway.”

“But, you did make a difference, Juan Carlo. You made a difference to Kiersten’s life and everyone that knows her that would have never got that chance if you hadn’t stepped in to save her that night. The ones that were taken before and since… that is on the one killing them, not you.”

Juan Carlo smiled gratefully at the remarkable woman seated beside him for the comfort she was giving him.

“Why now though? I mean, this has been going on for years, right?”

“Longer than _any_ records would have you know.”

“Then why have you waited so long to reach out? What changed?”

“You did. I reached out because of you, Nicole. A shift happened when you came to Purgatory. I felt it and I’ve seen it with how you have forged friendships through love and kindness, and the foes you have defeated.”

“I’m nothing special, Juan Carlo,” Nicole frowned in bemusement.

“I hope for all our sakes that you are as wrong about that as I believe,” he smiled sadly. “After what happened with Bulshar they fear you a little and I believe you will get the chance to stop all this. Even if you succeed, I am unlikely to escape unscathed and I’ve accepted that, but if you fail, then the deaths will continue unabated.”

“Do you know—” Nicole broke off as the church was suddenly plunged into a darkness so pervasive that the candles on the altar sputtered and died and not even her heightened senses helped. “Juan Carlo—”

“They’re here!”

Head whipping around as the door slammed open, Nicole could just about make out the outlines of Doc and Kevin as they hurried through the door and fought against what appeared to be a hurricane force wind howling at their backs to close it again.

The doors slammed open, tossing Doc and Kevin through the air as though they were made of nothing. And maybe to the mysterious ‘they’ they were nothing if the lives of so many meant nothing.

Nicole tried to move to Doc’s side as his body came to a limp halt under a pile of pews but she couldn’t gain purchase upon the wooden floor and she refused to be moved backwards by the wind buffeting her body and ripping at her clothes.

The wooden floor creaked and groaned as she shifted and sank her claws deep into them and leaned defiantly into the wind and snarled back at it. The wind roared back, pushing against her even stronger than before and Nicole nearly fell on her face as it suddenly relented and turned all its attention and might on Juan Carlo.

It picked him up, holding him aloft as it bore him back until he was pressed against the wooden pulpit. And as they did so, Nicole could make out a sense of their shape more than a shape itself as they pinned his arms and legs akimbo.

Either out of defiance or because he knew it would do no good, Juan Carlo didn’t beg for his life. But he did scream. The sounds wrenched from him as the pulpit cracked and splinted behind him just as his bones did.

With teeth and claws bared, her ears pinned back and hair standing on end in anger, Nicole tore across the church. How she could fight against something made of air… she didn’t know… but she was going to try!

But as she launched herself off the ground, her eyes fixed with Juan Carlo’s and the resigned pain in his eyes… his lips formed a plea for her to help and Nicole crashed to the ground amidst the leaves and dirt of the forest as everything vanished around her, leaving behind the image of the sad smile on his lips and the knowledge that the help he wanted was not for himself.

Scrambling to her feet, Nicole looked up at the ancient pine tree that stood where the pulpit had been.

“What in the name of blue hell!”

“Doc!?”

Racing back, Nicole brushed and tossed aside the branches and logs her friend was buried under. Despite his assurance that he was ‘just fine’, she patted him down carefully before helping him to stand.

The clearing, the church, the house… everything was gone.

Not even the scent remained.

“Was that all a fancy parlour trick or a hallucination?”

“I- Actually I think that was all too real,” Nicole frowned. “You remember it all though?”

“I think I do? How are you supposed to know if you remember everything or not?” Doc couldn’t help but smile as Nicole’s jaw clicked shut with a frightening sound and her head and ears tilted in confusion at the question. “Let us just assume that we remember everything and just get the hell out of here before they, whoever they are, changes their mind about that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - I have always wanted to use the word petrichor and now that I have I'm having major 11/Amy Pond feels.
> 
> I miss them so much.
> 
> The middle of this chapter was an unexpected struggle. I got so far and then felt that Nicole was acting a little OOC with how she grabbed Kevin. I still think it is a little... but after rereading and thinking about all the nightmares she suffered through and all the deaths she now knows happened... all the manipulation... I feel it's more out of character for TV Nicole than this one and the situation (frankly I would have choked the hell out of Kevin).


	12. Chapter 12

The drive back into Purgatory went by in almost complete silence as they mulled over what they had seen and heard. Nicole looked out of the side window, staring blindly passed the immediate landscape to the mountains beyond as she tried to still her mind from chasing itself in circles like Kat and Dom copying Bernie and chasing their own tails.

She winced, her eyes closing tightly shut, as something cracked beneath the weight of Carlene’s tyres that reminded her far too much of the sharp, wet pop and snap of Juan Carlo’s bones.

Nicole didn’t know too much about the angel himself, but he had saved both Michelle and Kiersten when he’d had the chance and to see his punishment, not for that but for simply speaking to them, was sickening.

She was broken out of her thoughts by the familiar tease of scent seeping into her consciousness and a soft sound from Doc. The hard plastic of the steering wheel creaked beneath the grip of his hands as he pulled his beloved car to a somewhat smooth halt before the line of the rail tracks on the edge of Purgatory.

Opposite them, sitting right in the middle of the road on the other side of the tracks, was Waverly’s Jeep. The red paint glimmered almost fiercely in the summer sun but it couldn’t compete with Waverly. She stood before the high bumper of her Jeep. Her slender body looked small next to the hulking machine but the determined look on her face more than made up for her stature.

“Looks like this is my stop, Doc.”

“That is a fierce look in young Waverly’s eyes. Are you sure it would not be more prudent to simply drive around her and continue on our way?”

“Seriously?!” Nicole croaked out.

“Not in the least bit,” Doc chuckled as Nicole’s head snapped around, her eyes wide with incredulity. “I value my life and Charlene too much to take on the wrath of an Earp. But, it was worth the offer just to see that look on your face.”

Slapping his shoulder, Nicole climbed out of his car and studiously ignored his rich laugh as he drove away. She couldn’t help but smile just a little as his laughter stopped abruptly with a sound just a little too similar to a needle being dragged across a record as Waverly shot him a look that was all dangerous, narrowed eyes.

Over the sudden over-revving of the engine and panicked hop forward of Charlene, Nicole thought she heard a muttered ‘good luck’ tossed her way through the open window from Doc. Shaking her head at his antics, Nicole strode confidently across the tracks towards her love with a slow, measured stride under the weight of her gaze.

Waverly’s lips curved upwards slightly at the corners, her face and body softening slightly as she neared despite her obvious attempt to keep the fierce expression going for as long as possible. It probably wouldn’t go down without anything other than a huff from Waverly… but Nicole just felt that her attempt of fierce made her look even more adorably sexy… intimidating, but definitely sexy. Especially with how her crop top was riding up with each breath to show off her abs and her short, tight skirt was doing nothing but showing off the muscles of her legs as they worked and flexed with every tap of her toe.

“If you’d glared at Doc any harder he would have peed his pants.” Waverly’s lips quirked up higher, her eyes twinkling in delight before she reined herself in and glowered at her again. Nicole knew her though, and she could feel it and see it as Waverly’s hazel eyes raked up and down her body with such intensity that Nicole wondered if she had developed x-ray vision.

“Hi,” she husked tenderly.

Waverly almost let loose a whimper at the release of tension within her as Nicole’s hands, so warm and soft came to rest gently upon her waist. Her strong, agile fingers tracing delicate patterns upon the strip of skin laid bare for her touch by her crop top.

“I was so worried!” Waverly blurted out past the lump in her throat.

“I know, baby,” Nicole soothed her even as she fell into the motion and used it and Waverly to soothe herself.

Waverly resisted the gently guiding pull of Nicole’s hands for less than a fraction of a second before she shuffled forward. Her hands slid up the line of Nicole’s body until they were looped over her shoulders and their bodies were flush together. “I felt it, Nicole. I don’t know what happened. But I felt it,” she mumbled against her.

“I’m sorry—” Nicole’s head dropped in sadness. The last thing she wanted was to cause Waverly distress of any kind. She deserved better than that.

“No! Don’t apologise,” leaning back a little, just enough to get her attention and look into the soft brown of her eyes, she stilled Nicole’s heartfelt apology with a glance. “It’s your job and it would hurt far worse to not feel you so don’t even think of trying to protect me from anything. I was just worried when I couldn’t get a hold of you.”

“Yeah, things got very strange out there,” she winced softly, realising that she had been so consumed with getting away and back to town so she could be where she was right then, that she hadn’t stopped to think how Waverly could have felt and seen everything through their bond. “I should have stopped to let you know everything was okay. I swear to you, Waves, I’ll never let that happen again.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I could tell you were okay—”

“I still worried you though,” Nicole stilled her words. Dipping her head, she pressed their foreheads together gently. “I should have realised before you felt the need to block traffic,” she whispered softly, pressing a kiss to Waverly’s forehead before deciding to lighten the mood.

“Good news though… Found out that I didn’t crash because I blacked out so I can start driving again. Waves!” Nicole let out a yelp as Waverly’s knowing fingers pinched a particularly delicate bit of flesh around her waist. “Sorry,” she apologised with a soft chuckle and pressed a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head.

“I should make you walk home,” Waverly growled softly, her teeth nipping reproachfully along the sharp line of Nicole’s collarbone.

“Hey, you kind of ran my ride off, you know. Though,” she shrugged, “that could be seen as a blessing, not sure how much more of Doc’s old country music I could take.”

“Ya know, he's got tapes of better stuff but he hides them away when he’s giving anyone a ride.”

“That sneaky, son of a—” huffing out a chuckle, Nicole swung herself into the passenger seat, buckled up, and braced herself ready for take-off speed.

Waverly slid behind the wheel but rather than start it up straight away, she turned in the seat and gazed at Nicole’s profile. Going by outwards appearance, she looked okay, rumpled and weary, but okay. But, Waverly saw the faint creases around her mouth and eyes and the hint of sorrow that seemed to be settled upon her shoulder like a heavy weight.

“Hey. What happened up there, Nicole?”

Nicole leant into the brush of Waverly’s fingers as they traced across her cheek and jaw, the tips of them finding the edges of the old, childhood scar where it cut across her cheekbone. She cupped it closer, her lips pressing against the pulse beating beneath the delicate flesh of her wrist.

“Do you mind if we talk about it later, Waves? When we all get together and compare notes later… right now I just _really_ want to spend some time with you and the kids.” It had only been hours but it felt like a lifetime had passed since they had been together as a family.

“Okay. Well, the kids are with Mama for the next couple of hours though so it’ll just be you and me until we get them back.”

“Yeah?” If Nicole had been in wolf form her ears would have shot straight off her head with how her interested perked right up at that bit of news. She loved their kids with every fibre of her being but the thought of getting to spend time alone with Waverly… just the two of them…

“Yep!” Waverly grinned, her pulse quickening at the way Nicole perked up, a hopeful and anticipatory look brightening her face.

“Well, in that case, I’m pretty sure I can think of _something_ to occupy our time.”

“Oh?” Her pulse leapt all the more, fuelled by the seductive purr lacing Nicole’s voice that had her wiggling in her seat needing to get closer to her.

“Yeah… I really want to check on the paddock fence and maybe paint the porch rail if we’ve got time.”

“You… Smartass!”

Chuckling, Nicole caught Waverly’s hand before her fingers could smack at her shoulder or go in search of places to pinch. “If painting the porch doesn’t appeal to you… How about… I use my fingers and tongue to paint lines of desire upon your skin?”

Waverly whimpered, her head falling back against the headrest as Nicole’s huskily purred words dripping with seductive promise alighted upon her ears. The heat of her honeyed tone met with the blaze caused by her strong hand cupping the inside of her right thigh, her fingers inching higher and higher underneath the edge of her short skirt until Waverly felt like she was going to combust right there and then where the whole of Purgatory could pass by at any moment.

“Take us home, Waves.”

Waverly shuddered, her whole body trembling long after Nicole’s fingertips pressed against the fabric of her panties, a wanton growl purring out of her throat at the discovered dampness before her fingers left, her hand sliding back to leave Waverly hanging.

She fumbled with her keys, almost losing them to the floor several times before she managed to slot them into the ignition with a sound of triumph that had Nicole laughing knowingly.

“You might want to hold on,” Waverly warned as she gunned the engine… and then promptly bunny hopped and stalled it as Nicole’s warm hand came to rest upon her thigh once more. “Nic!” she admonished breathlessly.

“I’ll take my hand away if you really need me to,” Nicole offered, unwilling to push Waverly past her comfort level. Before her hand could move more than a fraction away, Waverly’s was there covering it, pressing it closer.

“No! You startled me is all. I like it. I-I want it.” God, but she wanted it. Just the warmth radiating from Nicole’s hand had her aching, her hips canting forward to try and increase the pressure.

“You better get to driving then, baby. That stall attracted some attention.”

“Shoot!” Tossing a smile and a wave through the window at Emily before she could cross the road to investigate, Waverly got her Jeep restarted and actually moving despite the wicked, distracting, flexing of Nicole’s fingers upon her thigh.

The journey back to their home was perfect and thoroughly torturous to Waverly’s senses as Nicole alternated between light touches that would have left Waverly forgetting her hand was even there… if she hadn’t been so hyperaware of her hand been right there! And ones that weren’t in the least bit subtle that had Waverly rushing headlong towards an orgasm, and wondering if she would be able to steer through one or if she should pull over?

But, Nicole played her perfectly, knowing when to touch and when not to. When to build her up, and just when to ease back.

Finally pulling up outside their home, Waverly switched off the engine, unbuckled their belts with surprising dexterity given the trembling of her body. Then, grabbing Nicole by the front of her shirt, she pulled her after her through the driver’s door and pushed her back against the side of the Jeep with a dull, metallic thud that was drowned out by the growls that had been pouring from her mouth in a near continuous rumble for the past couple of miles.

“Need something, baby?” It was wicked of her to ask such a thing when Waverly was so obviously strung out from need hitting the ache still heavy in her limbs from the night before and her question was met with a dangerous rising of Waverly’s eyebrows and her hand been grabbed and placed right where it was needed.

“But Waves, we’re so close to our nice soft bed—” A growl and snap of teeth cut her off before she teased too far. Eyes darkening, Nicole deftly slipped out from under Waverly’s control and pushing her back against the Jeep, her hands slapping against the side of the vehicle as she slotted a thigh into the gap between her Waverly’s as she pressed closer to the curve of her ass. “Need your Alpha now, huh?” she punctuated each word with a subtle grind and thrust of her hips. “Well, what say I take care of that for you?”

Waverly was glad that it was a rhetorical question as she was pretty sure words were beyond her even before Nicole’s fingers deftly worked their way back along the outside of her thighs, bunching her short skirt up until they skimmed beneath the edge of her panties.

They could both hear and sense for miles around, there was nothing that could sneak up on them and yet… right there and then the thought of being so exposed sent a fissure of excitement and danger through her. The fear of getting caught. That someone might see as Nicole exposed her body and took her right there against the Jeep all added a sense of urgency that was thrilling.

Bracing her hands against her Jeep, she widened her stance and pushed her hips back in an invitation that Nicole accepted eagerly. Gone was the teasing as her long fingers slid between wet folds, gathering up moisture and spreading it around before two fingers glided inside, the stretch and thrust of them sending a shiver of pure, unadulterated pleasure racing up and down her spine.

Waverly’s desire leapt impossibly higher as Nicole growled in frustration in her ear and, before she could even form a word in her head or on her tongue to ask what was wrong, there was a tug and the wet sound of fabric ripping. The whisper of torn fabric falling to the ground was all but silent but went off through her body like an explosion. Especially as Nicole took advantage of the freedom afforded to her movements and quickened the curling thrust of her fingers within her.

“You feel so good, Waves. So wet. Is that all for me?” Nicole husked against the shell of Waverly’s ear.

Crying out under the weight of Nicole’s words and the sensations racing through her body at her hands, Waverly surrendered herself willingly to Nicole’s touch. Nicole was bigger than her, stronger, the power that exuded from her wolf more than a match for anything. And yet she was so gentle and giving, the strength of her body always supporting and guiding, and never used to crowd or dominate. Her touch was strong and sure but so in tune with her needs that Waverly felt herself racing towards a climax that was so strong and sudden she screamed her release to the sky. Even though the sun was above them it was the moon that flashed in her eyes as she surrendered everything, even consciousness, to Nicole and collapsed boneless and trembling into her arms.

Nicole pouted as Waverly recovered enough from her post orgasm stupor enough to steal the taste of her own release from her fingers with a satisfied if somewhat crooked smile on her face.

“Come here, you!” Nicole chuckled as Waverly let out a startled cry as she swept her up high into her arms. Her soft lips caressed distractingly along the underside of Nicole’s jaw. So distractingly that her eyes nearly fluttered shut and her feet forgot how to move as her teeth and tongue dragged across her pulse.

“Mmmm, vanilla dipped doughnuts,” Waverly murmured against her. Tangling her fingers in the baby fine hair at the base of Nicole’s skull, she pulled her head down, claiming the soft fullness of her lips.

“Waves,” Nicole panted, “trying to climb the stairs without dropping you here.”

Reaching the bedroom, Nicole gently lowered Waverly towards the bed and let her bounce the last couple of inches.

“Right,” yanking loose her clothes with more haste than grace, Nicole stalked her way onto the bed. Just the touch of her fingers skimming from ankle to calf had Waverly moaning and arching beneath her. “We’ve got a couple of hours all to ourselves,” she punctuated each word with a kiss along trembling thighs. “And I plan on making use of every… single… second.”

**********

_“…every… single… second…”_

Hours later and Waverly could still taste Nicole’s throaty promise in her lips and writ upon every inch of her body that had been touched, teased and caressed in more ways than she had ever dreamt possible until she had felt thoroughly worshipped by Nicole’s love. She had been left… thankfully upon the bed after a careful hand from Nicole had rescued her before she had slid in a boneless heap to the floor… a trembling mess of molten humanity incapable of stringing a coherent thought together.

Nicole had only been in a slightly better state by virtue of the fact that she had gotten the jump on her the last time but any thoughts of remedying that had been put on hold to get the kids back, and getting ready to meet with everyone at the village to compare notes and plan their next move.

Reaching out a hand, Waverly ran her fingers across Nicole’s shoulder and tunnelled them into the warmth of her hair as Nicole flopped elegantly to the ground before her with only a slightly hissed in breath and a murmured moan to hint at the tenderness of her body as she settled.

“Are you in pain after what happened at the church, Nicole?”

“What?” Nicole dragged her gaze away from watching where Clarke and Aden were entertaining all the babies with a mesmerising display of lights that danced between the branches of the trees and blinked at Doc. As his question sank in she blushed furiously and gave Waverly’s thigh a surreptitious pinch as her whole body started to shake with laughter that her hand clamped over her mouth was barely able to contain. “No! I’m fine, Doc,” she mumbled, ducking her head to avoid all the questioning looks from everyone else that his question had placed upon her.

“Going by that smirk on Waves’ face I think any injury is bedroom related, Doc.” Wynonna’s teasing expression dropped in realisation. “Eww, gross! Great, now I need to bleach my brain again!”

“Wynonna, we’ve got four kids. I think even you can work out that that means we have S-E-X every now and then.”

“A bit more often than that,” Waverly whispered against Nicole’s ear as she dragged her nails lightly across her shoulders, applying just enough pressure to remind Nicole of how they had been doing the same thing just hours before in the throes of passion.

“Shush.”

“Yeah,” Wynonna snorted. “Doesn’t mean I want to think about it though, Haughtass!” Which was why she was choosing to ignore the little display going on right before her eyes right then.

“I never wanted to think about you doing it with Doc and Xavier either but I got to hear it often enough,” Waverly added a couple of overly lust sounding grunts and moans to emphasise her point that had Wynonna’s face going red enough to match Nicole’s hair and the tips of her ears. “The walls of the homestead could have been ten-foot thick and I would still have been able to hear you.”

“Okay! You made your point, sis! Let’s never speak of that again.”

Leaning back in her chair with a triumphant smile, Waverly tilted her head back and watched the night sky above them. Sparks from the fire they had lit to push back the chill of the night danced upwards, their brief, flickering glow rivalling that of the stars above until they faded away. Nothing could rival the brilliance of the moon though. Its pale light managed to both energize and soothe her as it danced between the trees and the wisps of cloud drifting across the sky.

It made her want to slip her skin and race beneath it and bask in its light.

The moon always had that effect on her but the desire had gotten stronger since Nicole had helped her through her changes and broke the cycle of fear of pain that had marred each one since her very first one when she was eight. Even the far easier changes to four paws had had fear lurking in the back of her mind but the worst had always been the change at the full moon.

She was free to enjoy them now though.

Safe with her love at her side, her family and pack around her, and the goddess moon guiding her way.

The feel of Nicole’s head and hand resting against her thigh and the blanket of her scent filling her drew Waverly’s gaze from the moon to her. The moon that had moments before meant everything meant nothing as she looked instead at the red of Nicole’s hair shimmering between her fingers as they played through the softness of it.

The golden glow of the fire danced in Nicole’s eyes as she propped her chin up on her thigh and gazed up at her, her lips curving in a soft smile that had her dimple popping. Leaning down, Waverly pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Nicole’s nose and another to her lips that lingered until she was forced to pull away to catch Dom and Kat as they attempted to climb over Nicole to get to her.

“I swear you two are part monkey,” Waverly laughed with Nicole as they clung to her. They snuggled into her, their faces pressing against her neck to hide their yawns, tiny hands grasping at her top and her hair.

“Looks like it’s naptime.” Smiling softly, Nicole rose to her feet to take Mel and Jas from Clarke so she could pick up Cole and Madi who were sticking as close as they could. But one look into their wide eyes fixed upon their friends and gazing up at her expectantly melted her heart and she looked to Clarke.

No words were spoken, just a nod needed as they both just knew what was being asked of them.

Stooping down, Nicole held out her arms and picked up Cole and Madi as they moved into them. Their bodies settled against her, their serious expressions inherited from Alexandria giving way too cheeky grins that Nicole was sure they had learned from being around their twins.

“You wanna join the puppy pile, huh?” They brightened further at that, their hands reaching for the girls. “Whoa there,” Nicole chuckled. “You’ll get there soon enough.” Steadying them in her arms she walked with Clarke as Wynonna and Waverly walked ahead of them to Clarke and Alexandria’s home.

“Wait until you see what Raven and Anya has made for them all.”

“Nothing explosive is it?”

“No… At least, I don’t think so.” Clarke smiled at Nicole’s slightly nervous expression as she looked at the door to their home. Really, knowing Raven there was always a chance that she _could_ have made some part of it to go boom but she had promised that she wouldn’t and Anya had only just been restrained from making a blood oath that she wouldn’t allow it.

“Oh. My. God.”

“Holy shi—”

“Nonna!”

“—iiitake mushrooms.”

“Good save, Earp,” Nicole drolled out dryly.

Wynonna made a mental note to flip a few middle fingers Nicole’s way when her hands weren’t so full of babies. Right then though, she was too busy taking in the marvel of engineering and magic that Raven had managed to produce out of her ass… or maybe just thin air. Either way… It was beyond impressive how she had managed to turn the small bedroom into a cosy woodland den. And, Wynonna didn’t know what had happened to the ceiling but she couldn’t see one at all… just a blanket of stars hung above the thick nest of pillows and furs that was so lavish that Wynonna was tempted to just curl up in the pile and have a nap with all the kids.

“How?”

“When?”

“A magician never reveals her secrets,” Raven grinned. Confusing the adults was fun as always but, the joy on the babies faces as they snuggled down upon their bed, the starlight twinkling in their eyes as they gazed up from their adorable puppy pile… that made all the planning and execution worth it.

“See, told you that you could have fun without things exploding,” Anya whispered against Raven’s ear, her breath eliciting a shiver that had her lover swaying towards her.

“Oh, Anya… believe me, there _will_ be explosions later. Lots of them.” Raking a heated gaze up and down Anya’s rangy body, Raven left her blushing furiously and in no doubt that the explosions would be happening in a more private setting.

“God, they’re almost as bad as you two,” Wynonna groaned loudly. Much to her annoyance though, everyone chose to just ignore her in favour ignoring Raven and Anya and watching the babies instead.

Which, Wynonna had to admit, was definitely more enjoyable than anything let alone the conversation they were heading for once they rejoined the others. Doc had been very quiet and pretty withdrawn since he and Nicole had returned from where ever they had ended up earlier.

She was used to dealing with the times where he would get quiet and almost contemplative and just sit around gazing off into the distance. One thing to be said about Doc, the ‘brooding cowboy’ was a look that suited him.

This had been different though as he had switched between seeming to want them near to pushing them away, and all while scribbling furiously in a notebook as though he was afraid to miss out a single detail of what he was trying to put down on paper.

Dragging herself from her thoughts and the adorableness that was their softly snoring children, Wynonna turned to the other. “Time to talk?” she asked quietly so as not to disturb the babies.

“Yep, let’s do this.”

**********

“Our mom was shacked up with an angel?”

“Wynonna, I believe there is more to be taken from what happened than just—”

“I’m dealing with one thing at a time, cowboy and right now that one thing is… Our mama was shacked up with an angel? Like an honest to god,” she let out an inelegant snort at her own choice of words, “heavens above… Angel?”

“I am not entirely sure where Juan Carlo or Kevin came from, darlin’,” Doc drawled out slowly. “All I know is that just as the church lit up from within, which is when I can only assume was when Juan Carlo revealed himself to Nicole, that was when Kevin suddenly sprouted wings and started glowing.”

“This is ridiculous,” Xavier growled, “how can angels be real?”

“How can Vampires be real? How can Harpies… Yiska, Nymphs or even Werewolves? Why are angels any more or less believable?” Waverly questioned.

“But that would mean that… God—?”

“They never mentioned anything about God,” Nicole pointed out. “They mentioned others like them. Though neither of them seemed too fond of them. Not that it doesn’t mean that there is or isn’t a god, just that they never said if she existed or not.”

Dragging her gaze away from the dying fire, Alexandria straightened up in her seat. Needing to do something with her hands, she moved to bank the fire back up. With her hands clasped together, she watched the sparks rising up into the sky.

“There are still parts of the world where everyone here right now would be thought of as just a myth or the product of a fevered imagination,” sweeping her hand around in gesture, she looked from one to the other, taking in all her family. “In all my years I have never met an angel, not that I know of anyway,” her brow furrowed slightly wondering if she had, if any of them had, only for their memories to be erased afterwards on a whim. It was a thought that did not sit well.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about them—”

“Other than out Mama shacked up with one. Do you think they— Ugh, no! No! That’s worse than thinking about you two!” she jabbed a finger towards Waverly and Nicole accusingly.

“Maybe they did,” Nicole grinned wickedly as Wynonna stopped muttering under her breath about not needing to know that her sister or mother had sex, blanched and went almost green.

“Nicole!” Waverly admonished her gently.

“Well, they could have. But… while that didn’t come up, it felt as though it was a different kind of love between them. I’m not too sure that the ‘they’ that they were so afraid of would have let there be any other kind of love.”

“Meddling assholes!”

“In some cases, not meddling enough,” Nicole growled. “They knew God knows how long ago that people were being killed by what Juan Carlo called a demon, and did nothing to stop it or warn anyone. And because of their half-assed way of going about everything I’ve lost time I could have been using to do something about it, on vague nightmares.”

“We know now though, Nicole,” Waverly soothed her gently. “And now we know, we can do something about it.”

“You’re right.” Huffing, Nicole sank down onto the seat next to Waverly and rested her head against her shoulder for a moment.

“Well, now that y’all know what happened with our angelic pests… what did you find out?”

“Not much at the coach company,” Xavier growled. “Didn’t help that they’ve just had a change of management there so everything and everyone was still new to them so all we got was generic party spiel from the new manager about how they were going to improve the service.”

“I didn’t like him. Very shady dude of the scuzzy slime-ball variety.” Wynonna bared her teeth, growling at the memory of the man and how he had kept checking out every woman his pale eyes had fallen upon. She had wanted so badly to teach him a lesson but Xavier had picked up on her thoughts and had literally carried her out before she could shove him headfirst into a skip they had been passing.

“I kind of had a breakthrough with the research.”

“God, look at that grin!” Wynonna groaned. “She’ll be floating around on a research high for months!”

“Books are good for more than just using as a doorstop, Wynonna!”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re a good weapon, right? Well, the last time I threw one at Doc, he ducked. So not so great after all.”

“It’s what you learn from reading that’s supposed to be the weapon, not the actual book—” Waverly gritted her teeth at the smirk on her sister’s face when she fell for her teasing.

“What did you find out, sweetie?” Nicole asked gently, unfurling Waverly’s clenched fist with her own in an effort to soothe and ground her.

“What? Oh! Right…Well, going through everything I could find out from maps, news reports and even old myths and folk stories... This has all been going on for as long as there have been people around to be taken and others to talk about it.”

“Waverly, I have never heard any stories—”

“You probably have but just didn’t know, Clarke. It’s not easy to see though. Not even when I was looking for it. But there are so many stories about unwary travellers going missing; things sighted in the woods; ghosts. It’s all little things but there’s just too many stories and all based in the same area.”

“Waverly is right. There are a lot of tales about the area. Even when I was young my parents told me stories of people going missing. They used to scare me but as I grew up I just assumed that they were the typical cautionary tale parents told to keep their children in line and had no basis on fact.”

“So we know something is going on but… How do we work out where to look to catch whatever is doing it? It’s a hell of an area to cover and without any proof or idea of who to look for, if we go in with guns blazing at the coach place we could scare them off before we even get close.” Xavier rubbed a hand over his face in frustration.

“I might be able to help narrow down the ‘where’ too.”

“Research?”

“You’re damn right! Shoot,” Waverly pursed her lips in frustration as she looked at the screen of her phone. “Really wish I had my murder board… I mean my evidence board,” she corrected at Wynonna’s snort. The screen of her phone was just too tiny with so many there that needed to see it.

“I think I might be able to help,” Clarke offered with a smile and a twinkle in her eye as Waverly explained her dilemma. “Can I see what you found?”

Nicole looked on, a soft smile on her face as Waverly damn near vibrated with excitement as she huddled together with Clarke a little away from the rest of them. Before too long they had worked out whatever it was they needed to.

“Right! If you wouldn’t mind, Clarke?”

“Holy shit!”

Nicole found herself agreeing wholeheartedly, but silently, with Wynonna’s assessment of the situation as, with Waverly’s guidance, Clarke flexed her abilities and created a detailed map before them using flowering vines and dancing points of light to follow what Waverly was telling them about the area they needed to look.

It was still a pretty big stretch of road. Too big for them to cover even if they called in everyone they knew to help them. But, thanks to Waverly, they now had an area to start looking at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	13. Chapter 13

Nicole had never been a big fan of public transport. Oh, in theory, it was good. It saved fuel if nothing else. But! For a Werewolf, especially when you had a nose that was capable of picking up a faint scent from miles away on a breeze… Public transportation quickly became a hellish nightmare to endure that made Nicole thankful for every journey she had _never_ taken on one. Even the ones when that had meant long treks through storms, and wading through water and deep snow up to her vagina in every form she could shift into.

One journey via the Bluntline Express had convinced Nicole that they were the worst of the worst in every and every way even if they had nothing to do with the murdered women.

Unfortunately, apart from that conviction, the journey had not revealed anything else which meant she had had to ride the coach between the Big City and Purgatory for getting close to two weeks and she could still smell the vomit a drunk had deposited on the floor during the first trip now baked into the very fabric of the overheated, poorly ventilated metal box on wheels!

Hunkering down, Nicole buried her nose beneath the edge of her shirt in an attempt to escape the stench and resisted the building urge to scratch at her head through the blonde wig she’d been forced to wear much to Wynonna’s amusement after Wynonna had backed out of her turn on the coach trip from hell because of ‘pack business’. All done on such short notice that it hadn’t left her long enough for a temporary dye job to hide her red hair.

One of the problems and advantages of being a Werewolf was that hair dyes just didn’t work very well. Which meant that she could colour it often enough to confuse any observant coach driver on the routes. But, even the quickest of changes of form, even a shifting of her eyes could be enough to have her hair shucking off the dye and returning to its normal red. No matter how short an amount of time it lasted though, it required the same amount of time to apply it and, thanks to Wynonna, there had been no time.

Hence the wig that Nicole was pretty convinced was either cursed to forever be itchy or had been used by generations of rodents out in the barn at the Homestead.

Knowing Wynonna, both things were highly likely.

Nicole bit back a growl as the driver managed to steer the coach into yet another pothole on what she could swear should have been a smooth stretch of highway that had her head thudding into the window at her side. At least the stupid wig made itself useful as padding. She shot a glower his way from beneath carefully lowered eyes but held her tongue.

It was all part of the ruse…

From her research, and it still made Nicole smile thinking about how excited Waverly got when she got to bury her nose ancient, dusty tomes and dark corners of the internet, Waverly had found that many of the women that had been reported missing had been travelling alone. Many had been travelling without letting anyone know… either to escape bad situations at home or in life or, as in Kiersten’s case, having no one to wait for her at the other end of the journey. Situations that had all delayed any reports of them being missing as no one had even known they were missing until all other options had been ruled out.

Therefore, to sweeten the bait, Nicole was trying to act alone and down. Which just meant channelling how her life had been before Waverly had caught her scent that first night and scent marked the hell out of her in a blatant claim of what she already knew in her heart was hers.

Nicole slouched down further in the too hard seat. Turning until her back was to the window, she pulled her knees up onto the seat beside her and tried to act extra alone and dejected to hide the smile thoughts of Waverly were bringing to her lips while she made use of her change of position to look at the only other passenger with her.

One of the things that Nicole had realised over the two weeks of riding the coach was that, for the most part, unless they were drunk or complaining, the passengers liked to sit in their own little bubble and ignore the fact that there was anyone else around them. And anyone that deviated from that behaviour was quickly shot down.

Which had suited Nicole just fine as she didn’t want to be noticed as that would have just blown her cover. But, this other woman with the striking features that seemed built of sharp angles that was set in a stoic expression that made Alexandria most intense look positively gregarious in comparison.

She had been already seated on the coach, the too bright lights of the coach glinting off her blacker than black straight cut hair when Nicole had arrived at the depot in the Big City, and she had managed to take the silent thing to such a level that Nicole had seriously considered going over more than once to check for a pulse just to be on the safe side.

Even looking at her right then, Nicole couldn’t say for sure if she had even blinked.

The stillness and the fact that she couldn’t smell her, had Nicole wanting to keep her in sight at all time. After all, they had only assumed that one of the drivers had something to do with the disappearances but maybe they were looking in the right place but at the wrong people?

Nicole’s body tensed in response to the sudden juddering halt of the coach and finding herself under the laser-intense gaze of the woman’s amber eyes. They looked at each other, almost daring the other to blink first and reveal their intent.

“End of the line!”

Dragging her eyes away from the other woman, Nicole instinctively glanced towards the window even though she knew damn well that they were nowhere near Purgatory. Not that she could tell where they were as the too bright interior made it impossible to see anything other than endless blackness past the glass and the rancid scents within played hell with her scenting anything beyond the tip of her nose.

Climbing smoothly from her seat, Nicole backed up a couple of steps down the aisle, making sure that the other woman was far enough ahead of her for her to be able to react if she tried anything. That one glance between them when the coach had stopped was enough for Nicole to know that she had been playing a part on the journey just as much as she had.

“Dude, this isn’t the stop!”

“It is now! We’ve broken down! Next stop is just a couple of miles down the road. Easy walk!” He grinned in anticipation.

Nicole wasn’t sure what language it was that the woman spoke but she was pretty sure that it would translate into something similar to the cry of ‘bullshit!’ ringing in her own head. “Look, William is it?” she asked, reading the tarnished nametag pinned to his shirt. “Wouldn’t it be best if we just sit tight until help—”

“Get out, now!”

The sharp sound of a shotgun being pumped had Nicole’s blood running cold, the world narrowing down to the unwavering maw of the pump action shotgun pointing right at the centre of her chest.

Despite the threat, she edged slowly closer. “Now, just hold on a minute. There’s no need—”

“My lord and master must have his sacrifice!”

Nicole drew back the steps she had taken, her hands dropping slightly at his words as well as the suddenly manic tone of his voice. The man was clearly losing it… or had lost it if the look in his bloodshot, pale grey eyes was anything to go by. “Your—”

“He grows hungry and your meddling has delayed his feast, pig!” William jabbed the shotgun at her.

Cat out of the bag, Nicole plucked the itchy wig off her head and tossed it aside. “Wolf actually. So, who is this lord and master then? If you say Bulshar I’m afraid I’ve got bad news for you.”

“Bulshar?” he snorted derisively. “Bulshar was a bumbling child compared to my lord and master!”

“Personally I would have gone for evil bastard. But, bumbling child will do,” she shrugged.

“Do not mock me!” Spittle flew from his mouth in his anger as he moved forward.

“I’m not mocking you, Will. I’m mocking the memory of the evil bastard, sorry excuse for a father that I killed… and your lord and master. Anyone that likes to be called that deserves to be mocked.”

The shotgun barked out deafening in the enclosed space! Smoke billowing from the barrel as the seat to Nicole’s left spewed out plastic and lumps of fabric. Hands clasped over her ringing ears, her knees planted upon the grimy floor from where the pain had sent her, Nicole stared for a moment through the hole the shot had ripped clean through the seat before turning her gaze back upon the driver.

His hands tightened upon the weapon, stilling their shaking as he took a step back under the weight of her glare and the growl curling from deep within her to shake the fabric of the coach.

Nicole’s body started to shift, her muscles straining against the fabric of her clothing as the desire to grab the shotgun from his hands and ram it down his throat built overwhelmingly.

A hand pressed against her shoulder and suddenly Nicole’s vision was filled with amber eyes as the woman crouched down in front of her. Her lips barely moved as she spoke but it was the look in her eyes; so ancient and full of knowledge lived beyond her years, and the soft scent of jungle trees and flowers untainted by anything modern, that had Nicole stilling.

Whoever this woman was, _whatever_ , she was, she was definitely older than she looked.

Nicole shook her head, trying to kick-start her thoughts and dislodge the ringing left by the shotgun. “Who are you?”

“If you act on your feelings we may never find this lord and master of which he speaks, hmm?”

Nodding tersely in understanding, Nicole gritted her teeth in frustration and reigned back on her power before her change could go any further. Not that she trusted her, but the woman did have a point; until they knew more, taking out the driver wouldn’t solve anything.

Climbing to her feet, she slowly made her way down the aisle of the coach, her hands raised slightly to show she wasn’t going to do anything.

“I’m really sorry about this, William muttered apologetically. “But if we don’t provide for our lord and master he will destroy our families.”

Nicole stopped moving right beside him. “You’re lying,” she grumbled back quietly, turning her head slightly she watched the sick smirk spreading across his face again that better matched the vile stench of deceit and anticipation that came off his body in waves.

“You’re right!” jabbing them both in the back with his shotgun, he pushed them out of the coach ahead of him. “He gives us everlasting life and all he wants in exchange is a steady supply of sacrifices. But… truthfully… for the pleasure of seeing what he does to all you worthless bitches…” he sucked in a breath, anticipation sending sparks of arousal shooting up and down his spine as he leaned in his hiss lowly at them. “If money meant _anything_ to a being like that, I would gladly pay for the privilege! Now, move!”

Nicole stopped in the middle of the road and looked around as figures stepped out from the trees flanking either side of the highway. She didn’t need to see their faces to know that they were all drivers that worked for the coach company but she saw enough of them to know for certain.

“How long have you all been doing this for?”

“Myself, since the eighteen-hundreds. I was moving back south with my wife after a failed attempt at a new life. Damned wife had insisted that we use the last of our money to travel by coach so she could get home to her parents and tell them how terrible a provider I was. She never made it,” he chuckled darkly. “The coach had… trouble,” he giggled, “and our lord and master took care of mine and I was offered a… new position to help satisfy his growing needs.”

Nicole was glad that he didn’t go into details about his lords ‘needs’. Not that she needed him to as the nightmares, while thankfully vague enough, had been explicit when it came to just how terrified and in agony they all were. And, she really didn’t want to see him getting off on it any more than he already was.

“Your ‘lord and master’ is nothing more than a vile demon! A plague upon this world created by the Spaniards when they slaughtered my people!”

A screech, rattling, hissing sound exploded through the trees, beating at Nicole’s body like a physical force that she felt the need to lean into as she clasped her hands over her ears once more.

Whatever William and his fellow drivers were hearing was far different to what she was but it seemed to terrify them just as much as they fell to their knees upon the asphalt.

“We did not know my lord! Our fealty is sworn only to you! We would never betray you!”

The shriek grew louder and closer and through the darkness, Nicole saw as ‘something’ burst from between the trees and snatched up one of the kneeling figures and dragged him away. And it all happened so quickly that Nicole could do little more than blink as two more were taken away just as quickly.

She grabbed the woman by the arm and yanked her around to face her.

“Run!”

Blasts from William’s shotgun followed them, ripping through the shrubs and trees all around them as they dove into them for cover. Once they had grown distant and wildly off target, Nicole stopped moving. They were in a dangerous position, surrounded by too many people that wanted them dead and also something that was ancient and deadly, something that her senses had been unable to track.

They had a moment though.

She could smell and hear William and some of the others entering the trees in pursuit but they were, for the moment at least, all heading in the wrong direction.

Turning sharply, she pushed the stranger up against the nearest tree and held her there firmly with a forearm braced under her chin.

“Now, who are you?” she hissed lowly.

“We do not have time—”

“You have time for a name,” Nicole interrupted her forcefully. Her ears tracking every movement around them, she eased them body around the edge of the tree, taking them out of sight of the sweeping beam of a torch. “I need to know if I can trust you or not.”

“My name is Valdez.”

It was all the woman, Valdez, seemed willing to give so Nicole took what she could. “Nicole,” she whispered softly as they crouched down out of sight and watched a pair of legs shuffle past. Sensing Valdez tensing ready to strike, she gave her wrist a quick squeeze and gestured for her to follow her back towards the road.

“Why?”

“They are not our main problem and while they’re blundering around it might distract their ‘lord and master’.” She bracketed the term with forceful air quotes and an eye roll that seemed to amuse the otherwise stoic Valdez.

“Guys, are you getting everything?”

Valdez blinked in bemusement as Nicole spoke into the collar of the top she was wearing.

“Guys?”

“Hey, Sheriff Haught.”

“Robin?”

“Yeah! I came in to visit Jeremy and… well… Jerbear kind of passed out or something when he heard the name ‘Valdez’.”

“He passed out?”

“Yep. With a squeal that rivalled the one, he gave when I asked him out the first time. I kind of feel disappointed that he didn’t pass out on me now.”

Nicole simply rolled her eyes to the heavens. She liked Robin, she really did, but he had a tendency to get just as distracted as Jeremy did sometimes… Basically, they were a match made in heaven.

“Can you dump some water on him or something?”

Nicole hadn’t _really_ meant it quite so literally but there was a splashing sound followed by a wet spluttered cough.

 _“Valdez!”_ Scrambling to his feet, Jeremy shouldered Robin aside in his eagerness to get to the radio. “Nicole, did- did you say, Valdez? I’m wet? Robin, why I am wet?”

“Sheriff told me to.”

“Oh- okay,” grabbing the collar of Robin’s shirt, Jeremy pulled him down for a quick kiss. “Smart thinking, Robin.”

“Not to interrupt or anything but… kind of on a time limit due to being hunted here, Jerbear.”

“Right! Sorry! So, Valdez… by any chance is she tall, tattooed and giving off strong ancient Mayan, warrior-princess vibes?”

Nicole opened her mouth to list the ways the description fit only for her jaw to click shut as Valdez tossed aside the long sleeved shirt she had been wearing to reveal the tattoo of a snake coiled around the length of an impressively muscled arm while the other equally impressively muscled arm was now holding what Nicole wasn’t sure whether to call a short sword or a huge knife. Either way, she had no idea where Valdez had produced it from.

“Erm… I would go with a yes on that description.”

“Oh. My. God. She has been on Black Badges radar for years! Some say she’s real, others say she’s just a myth—”

“Jeremy! Imminent danger going on here! If we don’t get killed you can maybe get the chance to fanboy over her later but right now—”

“Right!” Jeremy slapped his own forehead a little more sharply than he intended and tried to gather some measure of decorum. “Readings on the trackers are going a little hinky but everyone should be closing in on your position soon. Detective Pietersen’s team have started rounding up the rest of the drivers and their families.”

“Tell everyone heading this way to hold back. There’s something in the woods that’s picking everyone off. It’s fast and I’m having trouble getting a lock on it.”

“I’ll let them know. Any idea what it is yet?”

Nicole spared a glance at Valdez who was busy guarding them. “I’ll see if I can get anything out of our new friend here but for now… go on what you can find out about her and the slaughter of her people. It sounds like it’s tied into that. Oh,” Nicole’s voice trailed even lower, every hair standing up on her body at the sight of the hulking figure cast out of darkness standing in the middle of the road behind them. “Motherfucker—”

“Could you repeat that, Nicole? I didn’t quite get what you said.” Jeremy reared back from the radio at the inhuman screeching that burst from the speakers, merging with the roar of Nicole’s wolf.

His eyes flew wide in fear, his hands grasping for Robin as a primal instinct raced through him, setting his heart pounding with the desire to run away as far and as fast as he possibly could.

He felt Robin’s warm hands anchoring him, the gentle strength of them cupping his face as his kind, and very concerned, loving eyes begged him to come back and help. With Robin’s help to guide his trembling hands and thoughts, Jeremy managed to get himself back in front of the radio but there was nothing but the hiss of static to answer his frantic calls.

“Nicole! Nicole!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry 'bout that cliffhanger... NOT!!!
> 
> AN - I don't know what Valdez will be like on the show or even what she is like in the comics so this is just my take on her from the little I have read about her character in the comic.


	14. Chapter 14

The night felt like it slowed down to a crawl, every detail becoming razor sharp even as fear threatening to crawl through Nicole and overwhelm her. Her heightened senses locked upon the hulking figure standing in the road looking unnaturally still and immovable as a boulder.

There was something just so very… _off_ about every part of him and the fact that while everything around him had become crystal clear to her, Nicole couldn’t make out a single detail about his looks or scent with any of the clarity she had become used to.

What she could see though was that he was massive!

Standing easily eight foot tall even without the wide-brimmed hat on his head, and with shoulders that were too wide even for his height. His shadowy, almost floor length, trench coat rustled and snapped around his frame with a sound that was stuck between sounding like a wet sail caught in a stiff wind where there was barely even a breeze to stir through the trees, and a noise that somehow reminded Nicole of the rustle of stiff feathers.

A faint scent teased across Nicole’s nose and caught upon her gums as she bared her teeth and dragged it in with each breath, tasting it even though the scent was vile and old like desiccated flesh… The scent of unopened tombs and something metallic and organic that screamed ‘danger!’ in a primitive part of Nicole’s brain and demanded that she should just run the hell away while she had the chance!

Nicole tensed as the figure shifted position slightly, her only warning before it was on the move.

The figure unravelled before her eyes, revealing that it was all a carefully constructed illusion of carefully placed coils of its body, the hat and coat rustling as they spread forth as tiny, ineffectual wings and feathers that stood out around the back of its head, as the ‘man’ became a gigantic feathered serpent.

“Kukulkan!” Valdez spat the name out venomously, her voice barely rising above a whisper as she glowered at her nemesis rising up to tower over them.

Nicole set her feet against the ground, her body bracing for action as she struggled to read the body language of the snake… of Kukulkan as she’s heard Valdez call him… it, before it decided to strike. It was _huge_! More so than when it had been masquerading as a human. It looked easily capable of swallowing a small car or moose whole and going back for seconds! And, as they had already witnessed its speed when it had attacked the Bluntline coach drivers that were its followers, Nicole knew that they wouldn’t get much of a chance to react once it did make a move on them.

Kukulkan’s mouth opened, revealing a frightening set of weaponry that passed for teeth. The main ones that worried her were nearly as long and thick as her forearm and narrowed down to fine points that dripped and gleamed with lethal intent in the dim light.

And then it roared. The sound coming out of its mouth paralysing in its bone-chilling intensity.

Nicole gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her palms, forcing herself to focus on its movements and not the creaking of her bones as it lunged forward. The slithering, coiling motion of its body propelled it towards them at a frightening speed that was almost too fast for her to keep up with or react to.

Almost.

Rather than running away, Nicole raced to meet it. Her body shifted instinctively between one beat of her heart and the next as she leapt up and over the creature to avoid its strike for where her chest had been moments before. Its momentum carried it forward and Nicole used her own to her advantage as she raked a line down its spine between the rows of spikes that ran down either side of its body with her claws… Or tried to.

Her claws could rip apart a car with ease but as they dragged across the massive armour plated scales that protected its body they found no purchase and skittered off harmlessly.

Twisting in mid-air, Nicole landed nimbly on the road behind it ready to try another attack as Kukulkan roared again. The sickening hissing roar coming from it one of frustration and not the pain Nicole had wanted to cause.

**********

Valdez tightened her grip on her weapon as she took a steadying breath. She had waited many years for the chance to strike at the heart of the vile beast that had destroyed her people and her home and now finally, she had the chance and she wasn’t going to waste it!

As prepared as she was, Kukulkan’s speed when it moved had almost been enough to shock her and freeze her limbs. Even more surprising though was the speed that Nicole showed in response.

Despite her ridiculous disguise, Valdez had known that the tall redheaded woman was a Werewolf from the moment she had seen her at the coach station. She hid it well, better than any of her kind that Valdez had ever seen, but she knew what she was just as surely as she had known, or at least hoped, that she was ‘good’.

What she hadn’t suspected was just how strong the woman was. How quick she was able to change when Kukulkan struck… And it had been more years than she could remember since she had witnessed or heard of a Wolf capable of taking the form denied her kind all but during a full moon.

And yet, there she was, powerful, graceful in her strength and with the heart of a warrior beating in her chest as she rushed straight for danger.

Someone worthy to fight at her side. Someone worthy to fight alongside with.

Valdez swung her blade at Kukulkan’s head in an effort to try to distract the beast as Nicole landed on the road and leapt once more, her teeth bared and eyes focussed upon the exposed neck of the creature. She saw the danger as Kukulkan dodged her blow but she didn’t have time to do more than watch as Kukulkan’s spiked tail lashed out from nowhere and clubbed Nicole right out of the air and sent her crashing into the side of the abandoned Bluntline coach.

**********

Groaning, Nicole pushed aside the coach seats that had broken loose and buried her under their twisted remains as she had crashed straight through the side of the vehicle. Her fingers slipped amongst the blood she had lost due to the bite of the ragged metal as it had peeled apart around her shoulders and gouged her body. It hurt like hell but it was already fading and as her flesh knitted back together.

Through the ragged hole in the now crumpled coach, she could see the slithering form of Kukulkan as it circled Valdez. She was keeping it at bay but with every turn it was tightening the circle, threatening her with strikes and blows from its head and tail, wearing her down while dodging every attack she attempted.

Picking up one of the seats, she crumpled up the metal tubing.

“Jeremy? Jer? Robin? Well, shit!” She’d lost the radio somewhere.

“Hey! Dipshit!” Pulling back her arm, Nicole launched the sizeable ball of crumpled seat remains straight at Kukulkan’s head to give Valdez time to get out of danger… or out of imminent danger anyway. “Gonna take more than that to take me out! Kind of insulted you thought that would be enough!”

**_~~ Allow meeee to remmmedy my missssssstake! ~~_ **

Nicole had thought that the sight of Kukulkan and its scream had to be the worst things about it, and they were bad, but its voice had bile rising in her throat as it hissed, twisted and writhed in a way no spoken word was meant to out of a mouth just not designed for human words.

“Better assholes than you have tried! And while I have to admit, you do top the list of ugliest motherfucker I’d dealt with… You’re going to lose just the same!”

Kukulkan’s roar of outrage and lunge towards her was cut off as Valdez drove the point of her weapon into the tail of the distracted demon. It did little to wound him but it did draw his ire and attention and Nicole took advantage of the opening to shred one of the heavy coach wheels loose and hurled it at Kukulkan’s head with all her strength to allow herself and Valdez the time they needed to dive back amongst the trees to recoup.

**********

Waverly slammed her hands against the dashboard in frustration as Wynonna pulled her truck to a skidding halt before the ‘Welcome to Purgatory’ sign with the lights of Purgatory twinkling in the distance.

“What the mother fucking hell is going on!?” Wynonna shouted in frustration as she got a concerned shake of a head from J.D. whose cruiser was parked up the other side of the sign to let them know that neither Nicole nor the coach had gone by.

“Shit! Shit! Dick sucking assholes!” Growling, Wynonna slapped the steering wheel in frustration. “Jeremy! Where the fuck is Nicole!?” she barked into the radio. “We’re on the outskirts of Purgatory now and there’s no sign of the damn coach or Haughtshot anywhere!”

“I-I don’t know what to say Wynonna. I’ve hacked into the low-jack on the coach and according to that, you should have passed it already.” A long way back from already according to the data but even allowing for any errors in the GPS they were way off.

“You got anything, Waves?”

“I can feel her still,” Waverly chewed her lip worriedly as she focussed upon her connection with Nicole. “But it feels strange like she’s being blocked or just isn’t where she's supposed to be.”

“Could she be doing the blocking?”

“Well, yeah… she could. She is strong enough but she promised me she wouldn’t do it again. And even if she was it doesn’t explain why we can’t find the coach.”

“It’s kind of the same for me,” Jeremy butted it. “I can feel the tingling in my groin—”

“T.M.I, Jer! T.M.I—” Wynonna baulked. “I don’t think anyone ever wants to hear mention of Nicole and your groin in the same sentence _ever_ again.”

“Not like that! Ew!” he flustered, his body shuddering at the thought.

“Easy there, Jerbear,” Robin comforted him in an effort to keep him focussed.

“The point I was trying to make, Wynonna; is that while my abilities are different than the whole ‘mate’ thing you lot have going on… I can kind of tell that Nicole’s there the same way that Waverly can. But, just the same as for Waves, it’s muted down from being able to give you a location more accurate than any GPS invented or even dreamt of, to just being able to tell that she’s somewhere in a fifty-mile radius of Purgatory… maybe.”

“Chetri—” Wynonna huffed in exasperation.

“I’m sorry, guys. I really am,” Jeremy whined sadly, for once finding no solace in Robin’s comforting presence with his friend missing.

“I know, Jeremy,” she apologised. “I know you’re doing all you can. Just frustrating as hell that it’s all gone pear-shaped. I mean, it’s a coach, those bastards are huge and we’ve somehow lost one on a straight assed road. We’ll find her though,” Wynonna assured Waverly and herself. “One thing I know about Nicole is that she will be fighting with everything she's got to get back to you, Babygirl.”

Pulling Waverly closer, Wynonna pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of her head. “Let me just go check in with J.D, see where everyone is and then we can head out again. Okay?”

“Okay,” Waverly sighed. She watched through the window as Wynonna jogged over to the cruiser and climbed into the passenger seat. “Jer?”

“I’m here, Waves,” he whispered softly. He closed his eyes against the wave of sadness squeezing his heart at how dejected she sounded. “Look—”

“No. Don’t apologise again, Jer. Just- help me find Nicole, please? Tell me everything you know about that Valdez woman and anything you’ve found out about what Nicole asked you to look up.”

**********

Straining her senses, Nicole shed her form, returning to her normal size to make it easier to slip through the trees and dense shrubs as she led the way deeper into the darkness of the forest in an effort to stay well ahead of Kukulkan’s pursuit and avoid any of its loyal followers… Even if they weren’t loyal after seeing so many of their ‘friends’ slaughtered, she didn’t trust them not to give them up to try and save their own hides if they got the chance.

Valdez was silent at her side, the statuesque woman retreating behind the stoic wall of silence she had been hiding behind on the coach. And although silence was vital, right then, information was even more important.

With the wind in their favour and no signs of anything too close, Nicole slowed their walk to a halt. “Kukulkan. What is it? Tell me what you know.”

“It is my problem. You should leave while you have the chance.”

“Bullshit!” Nicole growled lowly.

“Ex-excuse me?”

“You heard me,” gesturing urgently, she started walking deeper into the darkened woods before the drivers she could hear coming up on the left of them could get close enough to spot or hear them. “That thing is everyone’s problem, Valdez,” she continued quietly once they were far enough away. “Listen, I am not about to just walk away and leave you to die at the hands of that thing. We don’t need any heroic martyr BS. It has gotten away with killing for far too long and it needs to stop tonight. Now… what is it, and how do we beat it?”

Valdez started at Nicole for a moment, seeing the fierce determination written clearly in every line of her face and body and dripping from every word.

“When our lands were invaded by the Spanish I made a grave mistake on behalf of my people. I believed the lies they told and they were welcomed onto our land and into our homes with open arms. It was months later that their greed was revealed to us but by then it was too late.”

“Gold?”

“Yes. They had heard the stories about our land being so rich in it that the buildings were made from gold bricks. They searched our homes secretively at first but finding nothing they grew desperate and were just convinced that we were hiding it from them.”

“I was awoken one night to the sounds of screaming and muskets firing and I was dragged from my bed. They demanded that we tell them where our gold was hidden or they would start killing everyone.”

“My loyal adviser tried to stall for time and told them that it was buried deep beneath the ground in secret tunnels. That was when they started using their black powder. It was terrifying. Watching the destruction as they blew up our land and the homes upon it in search of their precious gold.”

“By the time they were done… There was only smoking craters scarring the land and nothing left of my home that I recognised. My people were terrified and so was I. And then it got worse.”

“Worse how?”

“The holes they had blown into the earth… they started filling with the bodies of my people… my friends and family… as they slaughtered them. My people were peaceful but they decided that we were barbarians that sacrificed animals and people to our gods and maybe the only way to get their gold was to sacrifice us to the gods too.”

Nicole opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to say something, anything. But what was there to say when sorry seemed so banal a word in the face of a pain that had survived so many years. In the end, though, it was all she had to offer. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Valdez. What they did to you and your people was inexcusable.”

For the first time in years, Valdez felt the anger bleed away slightly under the sincerity of Nicole’s words and the touch of her eyes. “Thank you.”

“What happened that had that thing crawling into being?” she gestured back towards the direction of the road.

“It came from the evil of the Spaniard’s deeds. It crawled out from beneath the bodies and demanded even more sacrifices of bodies and souls. Sacrifices the Spaniard’s were all too willing to provide to save themselves and clear the way for their greed. They rounded up people from neighbouring villages and cities under the pretence of a celebration and when they saw ‘that’ they named it Kukulkan believing it to be one of our gods.”

Even after all the years that had gone by, Valdez could remember the way her people had cried and begged for their lives… The way their voices had been cut short, severed upon the edge of the blade she now wielded and their souls devoured before they were tossed like garbage into the gaping maws in the earth until there was so many that their bodies rose above the level of the earth and the ground and everything around them was soaked in so much blood that no amount of washing or scrubbing could remove the stain of it.

“ _That_ thing is no god,” Nicole growled in disgust.

“No, it is a demon. One that I have been searching for many years for, so I can finally get revenge for my people and to stop it from destroying any more lives before it gets too powerful from all the souls it has consumed. Even if it was a god though, I am going to kill it.”

“How? I mean, I take it you’ve managed to come up with a sound plan while you’ve been tracking it?” Nicole asked hopefully. “Well, crap,” she muttered, reading the almost sheepish look on Valdez’s face. “You haven’t got a clue, have you?”

“ _This_ was supposed to be enough,” Valdez muttered as she held her blade up enough for the light to catch the edge. “It was one of the ones they used to kill my people but it has been blessed many times over and prophesy says that it will slay Kukulkan.”

“It was what they used? Doesn’t sound very blessed to me,” Nicole finished quietly. She held up her hands as Valdez heard her anyway and shot her a sullen look. “Look, maybe you just haven’t hit it in the right place or enough times yet? Bound not to be easy if that bastard has survived this long, right?”

Valdez grumbled in reluctant agreement. The wolf was right, there were never any stories, real or imagined, where the conflict was resolved easily. After a thousand years walking upon the earth though, she had almost hoped that that would count for something.

“If you don’t mind me asking… Valdez… that’s a Spanish name right?”

“Yes. They took the lives of everyone I knew and loved and destroyed my home so I took the name of their leader as I took his life with his own weapon…” He was also the one who had betrayed her after she had invited him into her life, her home… and her heart. She had been foolish and no longer deserving of her given name or the worship it had invoked from her people.

The sharp scent of ozone caught Nicole’s nose and had her lifting her head to look through the leafy branches of the trees sheltering them. There was little too see of the sky but she knew…

“There’s a storm coming. We need to get somewhere better for us.”

“How come?” Valdez frowned in confusion.

“If it breaks right on top of us I could have trouble hearing anything coming for us over it. And I don’t think that either of us wants that to happen.”

“Agreed. Going against a soul-stealing wanna-be god is no time to be at a disadvantage.” As she walked on, leading the way even deeper into the forest, Valdez couldn’t hold back an unexpected grin at how her droll response, which had been very accurate, had had Nicole tilting her head like an adorable puppy.

“God help us all if she and Wynonna get together,” Nicole grumbled under her breath. That would just be too much sarcasm in one place.

“Who is Wynonna?”

“No one that you need to know.”

“In which case, I look forward to meeting them.” Not even the sudden cold splash of rain beating its way through the trees nor the growing rumble of thunder deterred her from grinned further at Nicole’s huff.

It was strange to think that in such a dire situation as they found themselves, Valdez actually felt more at peace right then, than she had for over five-hundred years.

Nicole winced and shielded her eyes as the sky lit up brighter than the noon sun as lightning streaked across the sky. Blinking, Nicole lowered her arm and stared in utter bewilderment at what lay ahead of them gleaming white in the night even through the deluge of rain…

“What the hell?”

Realising that Nicole was no longer with her, Valdez turned to see what was keeping her and jogged back towards her. “We need to keep moving, my friend! Now, before—”

Her words broke off as Lightning crashed down around them. So close that Valdez felt the heat of it scorch the side of her body as it splintered an ancient tree, setting the remains on fire and sending lethal shards of wood flying with such force that Valdez was left wide-eyed in shock at the sight of a sizeable piece speared right through the trunk of a tree right next to her head.

“Fuck!”

It was too dangerous for them to stay where they were! As ferocious as the storm was it would kill them before Kukulkan got another chance to try.

A growl rumbled from Nicole, the sound so feral and dangerous that it had the hair standing up on Valdez’s body. Her eyes grew wide, dragging in the sight of her redheaded friend shifting form so close to her. She had thought that the power held within the storm was impressive but it paled compared to what she felt being so close to Nicole.

It was her eyes that had fear running through Valdez.

Reflected in their solid brown depths, was the massive form of Kukulkan reared up ready to strike on the path behind them, its body shimmering in the light cast by the fury of the storm!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a glimpse into the twisted workings of my mind. For where Kukulkan is standing in the road I kind of pictured the thing from Jeepers Creepers...
> 
> And for the reveal... I saw a piece of [art online](http://orig05.deviantart.net/6687/f/2016/071/0/7/07f86caeff0e3e7066a3920a9b810404-d9ut990.jpg) that matched what I had already imagined (and it turns out I was imagining an actual Mayan feathered serpent god... who knew!!!)
> 
> Anyhoo... here's a gif. My version of Kukulkan probably won't be a bright and I'm leaning away from him being able to fly.
> 
> Also, my apologies for anyone that does know anything about the Mayan's because I know nothing and it probably shows in everything I wrote.


	15. Chapter 15

Grabbing hold of Valdez's rain-slickened forearm, Nicole yanked her out of harm’s way, tossing her further up through the sparse protection of the trees as Kukulkan struck. She struck out herself in retaliation, raking her claws across its malevolent, unblinking eye while it was busy trying to untangle its fangs from the mouthful of mud and thick tree roots it had gotten instead of flesh.

While Kukulkan’s body twisted and thrashed, its scream muffled by the deluge of mud and water pouring down the steep incline, Nicole hurried after Valdez and pushed her in the direction of the out of place church that lay ahead of them.

There was no doubt in her mind that the pretty white-faced church she could see even through the almost blinding torrent of rain pouring down like a curtain of grey between them was Juan Carlo’s. But… the last time she had seen that, it had been all the way over on the other side of Purgatory on the very limit of the triangular shaped border on the maps that made up the Ghost River County that was hers to protect.

It looked the same, even down to the blow out windows.

 _It_ even smelt the same. Right down to the lingering scent of coffee that had her looking for the house and Juan Carlo.

But it was only the church that held the welcoming scent.

There was no house.

No Juan Carlo with his knowing smile.

And the ground on which the church was standing reeked of death and snake as though she had stepped right into its pit.

**_~~ What issssss the meeeeaning of thissssss?! ~~_ **

“Oh good, glad I’m not the only one that’s confused,” Nicole muttered under her breath. “Head for the church!” she barked out at Valdez’s confused, questioning look.

The ground beneath their feet was treacherous. A slippery mire of shifting mud, gravel and stones that was threatening to turn into a raging river strong enough to sweep them away while the lightning crashing down around them threatened to do far worse.

As bad as it was, Nicole used it to their advantage and made it even more difficult for Kukulkan to navigate.

Grabbing hold of a tree, she used it to gain purchase on the ground but, with a whispered apology and a thank you to whatever Nymph or other deity called that part of the forest theirs, she put in enough strength to uproot it and sent it careering back down into Kukulkan’s path… along with some dislodged boulders for good measure.

All it did was slow Kukulkan down. But right then, Nicole would take whatever she could to get them to the church so they could find out why it was there. There had to be a reason. One that was just as baffling to Kukulkan going by its continued shrieks about it.

Pushing open the church doors, Nicole ushered Valdez inside. The narrowness of the doors forced her to change her form again so she could step inside without ripping the doors off their hinges.

As she turned to shut the doors she froze.

Kukulkan had reached the edge of the small clearing around the church but instead of rushing towards them it reared back in obvious agitation. The feathers around its head and upon its wings flexed and rattled loud enough to be heard over the thunder that shook the ground beneath the church.

As chilling as the sight and sound were… That wasn’t what made Nicole freeze though.

She hadn’t noticed it in her haste to get within the church but as she looked back through the rain everything seemed to shift around them as though nature, or maybe something with wings other than Kukulkan was wrestling with reality.

The church around them stayed constant but the landscape on which it stood flickered between the church clearing complete with a almost transparent apparition of Juan Carlo’s house, to a rocky landscape with an almost hidden cave or mine entrance, to a lush jungle complete with an almost pyramid-like structure that she would put any amount of money on being a Mayan temple even though it looked like it had only just been built.

“That- that is impossible!” Valdez whispered brokenly. “How? How is that possible, Nicole? That is my home!”

“I don’t know,” slamming the doors shut, Nicole grabbed the other woman by the shoulders and pushed her back from them before she could think of doing something suicidal like rushing outside. “Valdez! Listen to me!”

“It’s my home!” She squirmed in Nicole’s arms but the Werewolf held her fast with ease.

“Listen to me,” Nicole softened her tone, “I don’t know what is causing it but it’s not real.”

Maybe none of it was.

“How do you know?”

“Because I can’t smell it. A jungle like that should smell rich with life. I bet even now, after all these years, you could close your eyes and describe every scent you remember from there. But I’m not getting anything.” She wasn’t entirely sure that any of the places beyond the church doors, or even the church itself, were real. But at the least, the church and the mine felt more grounded in a time and location she knew. The Mayan temple… that was Valdez’s past… a time Nicole had no desire to end up visiting or trapped in. If that was even a possibility she wasn’t willing to risk it and end up lost from her family.

 _“Waverly!? Baby?”_   Nicole sighed in frustration. She could kind of feel Waverly. Or just feel their connection anyway. Everything else was fading in and out and jerking around as much as the landscape was. _“Juan Carlo’s church, baby! Juan Carlo’s church!!!”_

She had no idea if Waverly would be able to hear her. Or even if she would be able to find the church if she did. But she had to try.

Especially as she could hear the slither of scale coiling along the ground towards them as Kukulkan had obviously made up its mind. Glancing through a small window at the side of the door she watched his cautious approach. The back and forth sway of his massive, fanged head as it slithered back and forth made it look as though Kukulkan was having even more trouble with the shifting landscape than they had.

**_~~ Thissssss trickery will not ssssssave you for long! ~~_ **

Gesturing up, Nicole shifted and cupped her hands together, giving Valdez a boost up onto the wide beams that crisscrossed the length and width of the church before changing once more and running down to the other end to crouch down behind the pulpit.

Kukulkan’s hide was too thick for them to stand much of a chance in a head-on attack. What they needed was time to find a weak spot… if there was one.

**_~~ I will find you and your sssssoulss will tasssste all the ssssweeter for the chasssse!!! ~~_ **

The sides of the church creaked and groaned alarmingly under what Nicole could only assume was Kukulkan taking out his frustration by giving the building a squeeze within the massive coils of its body.

Glancing up towards the high, vaulted ceiling, Nicole caught the glint of light dancing like blue fire down the finely honed edge of Valdez’s weapon reflecting in the steely determination of her eyes as the sides of the church seemed to bow inwards under the pressure but the building held fast, eliciting a hiss of frustration from Kukulkan.

Nicole gestured to Valdez and hoping that the woman understood what she was trying to say. If it had been Waverly there or even Wynonna in all her stubborn, leather-clad glory, Nicole would have known that she could trust them implicitly but Valdez was an unknown. Their understanding of each other coming from a coach journey where they had both being acting out a role to trap a foe, and then from danger being thrust upon them.

There was no time to question what could go wrong if they weren’t on the same page as the church doors exploded inwards, showering the length and breadth of the building with shards of wood.

Flattening down the bulk of its body to make it through the gap where the doors had stood, Kukulkan started to enter.

Or tried to.

No matter how much Kukulkan flattened and compressed its body, there was simply not enough room for something its size to move around in such a small place.

They attacked together, using the tight confines of the church to their advantage as they harried Kukulkan with blows that searched for weaknesses while feeling as ineffectual as attacking an elephant with a piece of straw for all the good it seemed to do them.

If nothing else though, they were frustrating Kukulkan to the point that it was making it sloppy in its attack and defence which gave them more tries even as they were forced to dodge the wild thrashing of its coils that threatened to crush them.

Dodging a wildly flailing tail that crushed the pulpit beneath the weight of its spikes, Nicole leapt for Kukulkan’s back and wrapped her arms around its head and held its jaw tightly closed. As it reared back to try and dislodge her against a wall, Valdez darted forward and swung her blade.

Kukulkan shrieked in pain, its blood spraying outwards in a fine mist as the edge of Valdez’s weapon found a home in a weak area between its scales.

There was barely even the time to register that they had wounded or even think about following up with another strike before a sharp twist of the muscular snake body twisted and writhed beneath her and Nicole found herself sailing through the air and having to roll out of the way before its tail crashed down and splintered the floor right where she had landed.

The church creaked and groaned around them, the very fabric of the building flickering slightly as though the blow had mortally wounded it.

“Oh, that can’t be good,” Nicole muttered through gritted teeth as she dodged another blow from the flailing serpent. The creaks and groans became a thunderous roar as parts of the floor collapsed revealing nothing but darkness beneath and others exploded outwards, thrusting jagged wood upwards.

Nicole tried to leap and gain purchase upon the shifting floor, her eyes searching for a safe way to get the hell out of the church and make sure Valdez did the same, and all while avoiding the still thrashing Kukulkan who seemed to have been invigorated by the destruction being wrought around them.

There was a moment of stability beneath her feet and Nicole used it. Grabbing Valdez, she gave her a boost that launched her towards a hole when a huge picture window had once let light in to shine upon the pews and anyone seated upon them. Despite the shifting of the building, her aim was true and Valdez sailed through without touching the shards of glass like ragged teeth around the edge.

**********

Digging her fingers into the sodden earth, Valdez slowed her tumble and regained her feet. Only a second had passed since Nicole had grabbed and thrown her but it seemed too long as she dug in her feet and rushed back towards the window.

The tips of her fingers reached and brushed against the white painted wood…

And then it was gone…

With a roaring cacophony of sound, the church collapsed inwards and Valdez found herself flying backwards as though an arm had wrapped around her waist and hauled her to safety.

She thrashed against the restraint and screamed at whoever it was to let her go… but there was no one there.

She was alone… with just the storm beating down around her.

Swiping at her face with trembling hands, Valdez wiped away the mud and water pouring into her eyes as she crawled forward and clawed desperately at the dirt and boulders but no matter how hard she tried, there was no sign that there had even been a church standing there at all.

“Nicole!”

**********

“Nicole!”

“Waves? Are you getting something? Shitballs!” Wynonna gawped in shock, her jaw dropping open as Waverly thrust the truck door open so violently the hinges popped and groan, and hurled herself out through the gap.

The bed of the truck lifted and bounced upon the rain-slick road as she slammed on the brakes and forced the much loved but battered truck to a skidding halt. Slamming open her own door, she stood up on the running board and looked back to see Waverly’s bushy tail disappearing amongst the trees.

“Shit! Jeremy!”

“Yes—”

“Have you got my location right now?” she barrelled on, not giving him time to go off on a nerd tangent.

“Yep—”

“Mark it down and don’t lose us like you did Nicole. Waves has just gone rogue heading north into the woods. See if you can find anything on the map in that direction and get everyone up there ASAP! Oh yeah, we found the coach…” and it was pretty much in the exact place where Jeremy had told them to look before… The exact place they _had_ looked but had seen nothing!

Ignoring the rush of questions tumbling out of Jeremy’s mouth, Wynonna spared a glance at the ruined lump of metal listing half on and half off the road… It was only recognizable as a coach by the ‘BL’ and ‘INE’ of the name that remained around a hole torn on its side. The rest of the coach was twisted and distorted like it had been crushed by a giant fist and tossed aside.

And it wasn’t even what had had Waverly leaping from the truck. The way she had screamed Nicole’s name… that had been a cry of anguish ripped from her soul by something happening there and then between the connection they shared. And her sister had known where to go. And while something obviously bad had happened at the coach, that was in the past.

Though they so rarely needed to use weapons when they were weapons, Wynonna took a precious moment to grab her gun and slid it into the special holster created by the Yiska that allowed her to carry it when she changed.

Werewolves were never shy when it came to nudity… there was little time for things like that when shifting form. But Wynonna had to admit that being able to change shape and not end up destroying all her clothing doing so or losing everything in her pockets was something that had been easy to love and appreciate.

“Yayy for magic clothing! Now, where are we heading, sis? Where’s our girl gone?”

The lights from Xavier’s SUV glanced across her body but Wynonna didn’t wait for them to catch up. Running across the road she leapt through the trees and landed on four paws, her claws digging through the slippery leaves and mulch, and deep into the mud beneath for purchase as her senses locked in on the scent and sounds of Waverly running ahead of her.

Seconds later, she heard Doc and Xavier entering the trees behind her, their positions spread out and staggered so that they didn’t run into each other while navigating the gaps through the trees.

All around them there was signs of something massive passing through the trees with as much grace as a stampede of moose. And Wynonna was pretty sure she saw a body or two smeared into the ground but she had no desire to stop and investigate. Her main priority right then lay in catching up with Waverly and getting to her best friend… especially as the marks upon the ground and through the trees made it look like Waverly and Jeremy’s brainstorming had hit pay dirt of the humongous, mythical, god-like snake-y variety.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Ears flattening back, Wynonna narrowed her eyes against the lashing rain and pushed herself faster and harder, determined not to let the sleek form of her sister get too far ahead.

**********

The ground flew beneath Waverly’s paws, branches and roots snagging in her coat as she took the quickest path. She felt and saw nothing of the land around her or the storm lashing around her. All there was, was the lingering scent of Nicole and her name pounding through her body and soul with every beat of her heart.

_Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub._

_Ni-cole, Ni-cole. Ni-cole!_

Onwards she pushed herself. Racing through the trees and leaping over boulders and trees recently felled by the storm and a massive crushing weight. Claw marks gouged into another had her pushing even harder, the scent of vanilla tugging her onwards.

“Nicole!”

Waverly burst through the last sparse line of trees as the ragged scream from ahead was ripped into the sky by a violent gust of wind. The desperation in the woman’s voice was chilling but Waverly didn’t have time to dwell on it or take more than a glance around for Nicole as a sharp cracking sound caught her sensitive ears.

She tried howling out a warning but it was tossed away by the wind and the woman showed no signs that she had heard her… or the tall tree crashing right towards her as she continued to claw and dig at the ground with her bare hands.

The woman turned sharply, her muscular body tensing ready to fight just before Waverly reached her. Her eyes grew wide in her angular face and in the brief moment before Waverly slammed into her, she read hope followed by disappointment within her amber gaze.

Wynonna leapt over the thick trunk of the fallen tree, a huff of relief leaving her as she found Waverly the other side of it still in wolf form, not squashed flat beneath the tree like she had feared and sprawled over a woman that was most definitely not Nicole.

“Dude!” Wynonna’s chuckle came out lightly, hitching brokenly around her concern and breathless relief as she sagged back, using the waist-high trunk to support her while she waited for her legs to stop trembling and for her heart to slow from nearly crashing out of her chest at the sight of tree heading right for her fool sister’s head. “Impressive body surfing skills, Waves!” Wynonna held out a hand and pulled Waverly off the woman and up onto two feet.

“Now,” drawing Peacemaker smoothly from its holster, she pulled the hammer back with a sharp, threatening click, and pressed the end of the barrel against the stranger’s forehead before she could do more than pull herself up out of the mud to a sitting position, “where’s Nicole?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - i've really been trying to write longer chapters and stay away from the short cliffhanger ones but... sometimes i just can't help myself ;) 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a hell of a time huh?
> 
> Life is generally not been too good lately but I won't/can't go into it as that is not all my story to tell. The one thing that keeps me ticking along though is this fandom and the relief we got at SDCC with the announcement so soon that we were getting a S4... to then find out what we did... yeah, hell of a stressful time.
> 
> Keep fighting though everyone #FightForWynonna our little shitshow deserves to get all the seasons Emily needs to tell the story she wants to while we tell our own over here with her beautiful characters.

Nicole’s momentary relief at the sight of Valdez reaching safety was literally snatched away by the skin of her fingertips as everything collapsed around her as she tried to follow her. The sound was deafening as wood rained down around her and struck her body as she tumbled into the darkness. The noise grew louder, reaching a cacophonous fury as the wood became stones and small boulders that struck her body with even more painful blows.

Reaching out in desperation, she sank her claws into mud and rock as the walls of the shaft she had been plunged into seemed to narrow down around her and got close enough for her to touch. Her claws shredded and broke under the pressure, and something slammed against the side of her head hard enough to leave her reeling, her muscles going momentarily limp before she recovered and dug in harder. She didn’t know where or when the fall was going to end but if she didn’t slow or stop it in time, not even her ability to heal wasn’t going to help her.

It felt like she had been falling forever but, finally, Nicole felt her speed slowing and her fingers catching until she came to a halt.

Blinking through the blood pouring down into her eyes, she looked around carefully as best as she could without jostling herself too much and losing her grip.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered with a breathless moan.

From what she could see, she was hanging over fifty foot off the floor of a vast cavern. Which explained why she could feel nothing but air from the chest down and she could see nothing but darkness above her even with all her senses stretching out. Even the scent of fresh air was gone as though the top had sealed up.

Worst of all, she could feel the wall beneath her fingers starting to slip away.

She was out of time!

Muscles bunching, Nicole launched herself upwards as her grip became too precarious but her fingers slipped off nothing but slick, mud and shale and once more she plunged towards the ground!

**********

Valdez stared up along the ridiculously long barrel of the gun pressed firmly between her eyes, forcing herself to focus on the fiercely set face and the equally fierce, brilliant blue eyes of the chestnut-haired woman holding it. There was a clear challenge in those blue eyes that screamed just as loudly as her darkly gritted out…

“Go ahead and jump if you feel froggy!’

When she had been a child, Valdez had always been the first to rush headlong into a dangerous situation on a dare. It had driven her parents crazy. More so her mother than her father as she had to watch as she was patched up from the inevitable scrapes and broken bones. And apparently, even a thousand years of living had not taught her any lessons as her stubborn pride swelled in response to the challenge.

If this wolf was as fast as Nicole, it would be dangerous to test herself against her but she thought she stood a fairly good chance of besting her if she chose too.

Before she could do anything stupid, she was brought back to her senses by an unexpected yelp from the woman as the young beauty with the kind hazel eyes that had saved her, punched the taller, gun-toting woman on the shoulder with a blow that was almost too fast for Valdez to see, and growled at her with a huff of exasperation…

“Wynonna!” Crossing her arms, Waverly fixed Wynonna with a glare and resisted the urge to pop her on the shoulder again.

“Waves,” Wynonna whined in protest, “we don’t know what went on here—”

“And we never will if you kill the person that was here with Nicole!” Waverly berated her. Satisfied that her sister was going to behave herself for the moment, she turned her attention to the woman still seated in the mud. “You’re Valdez, right? You were with Nicole?” Her question came out more like a plea. Her heart swooped and she dropped to her knees beside Valdez at the nod she was given in reply. “Please,” she wrung her hands together nervously to stop herself from grabbing at her to shake the answers from her, “where is she?”

“I do not know,” Valdez frowned in frustration at the sodden earth she had been digging at with her bare hands. Mindful of every wasted second that passed, as well as the two other male wolves that had joined them, she quickly explained what had happened since the coach had stopped. Even though she had lived it all, to her own ears it sounded too ridiculous and too fanciful a tale to be real. But instead of calling her a liar, the wolves didn’t even bat an eye at anything she told them. Not one word of it. Which had Valdez questioning what kind of a place it was she had found herself in?

“You believe me?”

“Oh please,” Wynonna scoffed as she helped Valdez and Waverly back to their feet. “A giant snake sounds pretty tame after the face-stealing black widows, witches, vampires, wendigos, and an immortal werewolf we’ve faced and beaten the last couple of years. And wait until you’ve spent some time with Chetri! Then you’ll know what strange is.”

“What’s a ‘Chetri’?” Valdez asked Waverly in soft confusion.

“’Chetri’ is just Wynonna being a jerk… He isn’t that bad, just a little excitable,” she added, giving Wynonna’s shoulder another sharp flick as she cackled in delight at whatever Jeremy was saying to her over her radio. “It’s Bunny you need to look out for,” Waverly shuddered.

“Bunny?” Valdez frowned all the more at that but somehow resisted the urge to ask. Somehow she just knew she didn’t want to know why a rabbit was apparently scary to a Werewolf.

“Ms Valdez, if it would not be too much of an inconvenience, would you be so good as to describe the church you say was standing on this godforsaken ground?”

As they talked, Doc’s quiet, velvety tones creating a soothing backdrop as he asked his questions, Waverly drifted away from them mentally and physically. She could feel Wynonna’s energy tingling around her eager for action, and Xavier’s more grounding, soothing energy wrapping around her like a comforting blanket as they took up almost guarding positions around her. They were close enough to react to any threat, but not so close as to crowd her. Not that their distance would make any difference to her senses but she appreciated what they were doing as she walked the area.

_“Where are you, Nicole?”_

“Anything?”

Chewing her lip, Waverly looked up into Xavier’s dark eyes. They were soft and kind. But as much as she loved her sister’s mate like a brother, they weren’t the brown eyes she ached to see.

“Hey,” gently cupping her face between his hands, Xavier brushed away the tears on her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Well find her… You’ll find her,” he stated with quiet conviction.

Waverly wrapped her arms around his trim waist and buried her face against his chest. His big arms held her close and she allowed his quiet strength to ground her and reset her overwrought emotions.

Sniffing softly, she drew back with a grateful, if slightly weak, smile and set her shoulders determinedly.

They had been through so much, Nicole more than anyone, and she wasn’t about to lose her now to some soul-sucking serpent!

********

Twisting in the air, Nicole righted herself as best as she could before she landed upon the unforgiving pile of rocks beneath her. It all shifted beneath her feet, threatening to bury her under a landslide of it all if she faltered or stumbled as she rode the wave of it down and leapt out of reach. And while she in no way wanted her down there, Nicole couldn’t help but think that she was missing out on some surfing puns from Wynonna right then… especially when she reached safe ground and promptly nearly tripped over her own damn feet.

And probably some form of concussion treatment from Waverly for thinking about Wynonna and her quips was needed too, Nicole mused.

Reaching up, she winced as her probing fingers found a good-sized and very tender lump on her temple and the thankfully, mostly closed gash running through it. If she wasn’t so good at healing the blow could well have killed her. As it was, it felt like her brain had taken a pretty good scrambling if her drifting thoughts, slight unsteadiness, and the flashing lights playing out behind her eyelids was anything to go by. Her body had fared little better but the cuts and bruises, and even what felt like a couple of broken ribs, wouldn’t slow her for long.

It would be nice to think that Kukulkan was buried somewhere at the bottom of the pile of rocks she had landed upon but no sooner did the thought come to her aching head when the sound of scales slithering and a hiss that sounded just a little too much like a chuckle of anticipation teased across her ears from somewhere in the cavern.

“Well, that’s just wonderful,” she muttered under her breath.

**_— Nowwww you are in_ mmmmy _home, little wolf! —_**

That explained the almost overwhelming stench pervasive in the air that she was beginning to associate with it. No wonder no bodies had ever been found if that was where they had ended up.

“Oh, that church was nothing to do with me, Kukulkan! Something else wants you sent back where you belong! Sucks to be you!” she chuckled goadingly much to Kukulkan’s loudly hissed annoyance. As she spoke, Nicole moved around, keeping her step light and her senses on overdrive as she tried to ‘see’ beyond the echoes and lock in on Kukulkan’s position. “But, doesn’t matter where we are… The killings end tonight!”

**_— Never!! —_ **

Coils slapped loudly against the ground in agitation, giving Nicole a split-second warning that had her head snapping around. She leapt, soaring as high as her battered body would allow as she dodged Kukulkan’s charge and the follow-up swipe of its heavily spiked tail. Luckily its attack was fuelled by anger and uncoordinated because of it, as she staggered heavily as she landed, the world tilting as her head spun sickeningly.

Nicole didn’t let it slow her.

**_— Once we are done here, pup, I will go after everyone you love. —_ **

She _couldn’t_ let it slow her.

Hesitation could lead to death and she had too much to live for!

**_— You willlll die ssslowly. Your sssoul nourissshing me. Strengthening me! Knowing you failed them. Knowing they will meet the ssssammmme fate! —_ **

Nicole’s fists clenched tightly, her claws digging into her palms. The threats to herself meant nothing, just water off a duck’s back after a lifetime of threats heaped upon her head. The threats to Waverly… to her children… her family!!! Those had her vision turning red with a rage that was all consuming even though she knew that Kukulkan was trying to goad her into making a mistake.

The mistake was Kukulkan’s though. For while the rage was blinding, it made her more determined and more focussed because she knew that its threats were exactly what it planned and she couldn’t allow it to hurt them or anyone else!

Kukulkan loomed out of the darkness, its thick, muscular body raised up poised to strike! Its teeth flashed as its jaws opened wide, thick, viscous liquid dripping from them to sizzle and smoke upon the ground. The roaring hiss from its mouth rose in volume, matched the rustling one coming from its feathers as it spread wide its wings in a violent display.

Planting her feet in the ground… Nicole struck first!

She launched herself straight for Kukulkan’s throat. Twisting beneath its deadly strike, she reached with teeth and claws bared for the blood still pulsing and dripping from the wound left by Valdez’s blade.

**********

“Nicole?”

Wynonna jerked around, hope burgeoning within her as she piercing the darkness between the trees for a glimpse of her friend. “Waves?”

“I heard her,” she tapped her head. “Faint, like something is still blocking us, but it was Nicole and, it was close.”

Abandoning the area where the church had been, Waverly moved outwards, following her instincts and the memory of what she had felt through her connection towards a craggy pile of boulders.

All the times she had thought she had felt Nicole it had been so muffled all she had gotten was the impression of her but talking and getting a fix on her had been like trying to hear a whisper in a hurricane while seeing her had been like glimpses through a maze of funhouse mirrors spread across the Ghost River Triangle that was shrouded in fog with how it had jumped around.

Waverly scented the air as she grew closer to the boulders. She had been so focused upon the ground where Valdez had said the church had been, not that she disbelieved her but it had narrowed their gaze.

The marks upon the ground… the path of crushed and worn stones formed by the passage of something massive in size and weight over many years, while difficult to see were also painfully obvious now that they knew what they were up against from what Valdez had told them, and the evidence from their own eyes as they had run through the trees.

Kukulkan.

That was the name that they; herself and Jeremy had found. Waverly had read about the creature, the so-called god, before many years before after she had finished school when she had been devouring every book on ancient civilizations that the library could get its hands on. She had wanted to know everything there was, even the more fanciful myths and legends, about all the places she yearned to visit.

Of course… she had never visited any of those places. Until Nicole had taken her to the Big City, she’d never been even that far out of Purgatory before.

Wynonna had been the one to leave and visit places Waverly had read and dreamed about. Any knowing Wynonna spent most of the time trying to find oblivion at the bottom of a bottle… or twenty.

But Waverly… She had stayed.

And when Wynonna had returned and eventually taken up her position as pack Alpha, Waverly had kind of hated her for leaving… for all the places she had seen. But now… Waverly was glad that she had stayed put. Just thinking that she might have been visiting some far off country and not met Nicole was a chilling thought.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, baby girl?” Wynonna whispered her question, almost afraid to speak too loudly and break her concentration as she crouched down beside her sister.

Closing her eyes, Waverly breathed in slowly, deeply. Her senses raking through the scent of damp earth and death. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she sifted through the dry, musty scent of serpent and feathers until she found it… the heavy sweetness of vanilla dipped doughnuts mingled with her own lavender and lime scents in a perfect blend that was all their own.

“For one… I’m thinking about finally getting to visit a beach one day soon.”

“A beach?” Wynonna frowned softly in confusion at the unexpected direction Waverly’s answer had gone.

“Yeah. I want to see the ocean, Wynonna. Purgatory… you, the pack, that is all home and that will never change. But I want to bury my toes in the sand and feel the spray from the sea against my skin. I want to watch the girls build sandcastles and the sun setting over the water with Nicole’s arms wrapped around me.”

“You’ll get that, baby girl. Soon. I hate to tell you though, that damn sand gets _everywhere_ ,” she winked.

“In which case, I’ll make sure Nicole is on the bottom.”

“Eww, TMI, Waves! TMI! But also… solid plan,” Wynonna nodded, a smirk playing around her lips.

“I am a planner,” Waverly grinned briefly. “And…” she rose to her feet and pointed firmly at the ground. “We should start digging. Right there.”

Wynonna looked at the ground Waverly’s slender finger was pointing at for a split second. She didn’t question as to why Waverly was so certain after hours of radio silence and interference from her bond with Nicole. If her sister said to did right there then…

Digging her fingers in beneath the edge of a boulder almost as big as herself, she heaved and started to move it. Which was easier than expected, she realised. As though it had been moved many times before. As it shifted though it released a breath of air like a rancid sigh that stank of snakes and dank earth… and vanilla?

“Boys!”

They were at their side before her bellow had finished echoing back off the landscape, their bodies straining and hands busy as they worked as a team to unearth what turned out to be either the collapsed entrance to a cave or a long, _long,_ abandoned mine.

Once it was revealed, they all stood back and Wynonna’s hands coming to rest on Waverly’s shoulders to stop her from rushing recklessly headlong into the darkness.

“We all go together, baby girl. You can trust me, okay? We’re going to get your girl back.” Wynonna breathed out a sigh of relief as Waverly gave what was obviously a reluctant nod going by the restless jittering of her shoulders beneath her hands.

“Right then we need—” A plan… she was going to say they needed a plan, but her eyes flew wide, fear crawling up her spine to tighten her hands upon Waverly’s narrow shoulders as a hissed roar ripped out of the darkness from the narrow gap between the boulders they had cleared to be met with a familiar roar from Nicole’s wolfen lips.

“Shit! Forget plans! Fuck the plans!” Wynonna barked out, racing forward she patted the beloved gun hanging at her hip before leaping through the gap into the darkness beyond in Waverly’s wake to land the other side on four paws.

She heard and felt the others follow them through but they didn’t stop as they raced onwards in pursuit of the hisses and roars that filled the curved tunnels that plunged downwards.

**********

Nicole collapsed to her hands and knees. Dirt rained down over her in a steady, choking stream from where her body had slammed into the cavern wall. It clung to her fur and coated the inside of her mouth as she sucked in a painful breath.

Staggering back to her feet, Nicole clutched at her ribs and spat out dust and the metallic taste of Kukulkan’s blood onto the hard ground while she strained her eyes and ears to find out where it had slithered off to.

Ears twitching she ducked and rolled as Kukulkan’s tail whistled over her head. The tips of its spikes were so close they parted the hair on her back before they slammed into and became embedded in the wall right where she had been standing. She waited, striking up with bared claws as its head followed through with a strike of flashing teeth and clawed at its wound once more.

They battled back and forth, Nicole more in retreat than she would have liked as she waited for the right moments to strike and tried to avoid Kukulkan’s heavy blows. She was getting her own in but it was impossible to say if they were doing any good as no matter how much she clawed and sank her teeth into its wound… no matter how much of its blood and flesh she spilt upon the ground, it just didn’t seem to slow Kukulkan down in the slightest.

She could feel Waverly and the others getting closer and closer. Their scent filling her nose with the desperation and anger they were feeling with every second they were delayed in getting to her. Part of Nicole was eager for them to be there but there was a greater part of her didn’t want them in the path of this monster.

The very thought of what Kukulkan had threatened becoming a reality and her inability to land a blow damaging enough fuelled her own desperation.

Launching herself off a craggy boulder, Nicole soared once more for Kukulkan’s throat, her body taut and bristling with fury as she felt her family moments away from reaching the cavern.

Kukulkan twisted beneath her, its head slithering out of reach. Her claws slid over the tough scales of its back and found purchase on its wings. Wrapping a fist around the base of one, she slashed and bit at them mercilessly. Kukulkan writhed under her in pain and fury, hissing in pain and cursing as it tried to buck her off and smash her against the ground and walls.

Nicole tried to leap clear as Kukulkan struck towards her but she was too focused on causing damage and lingered too long. As she jumped she felt a heavy blow against her side that stole her breath as pain blazed through her body.

She wondered distractedly why she seemed to be hovering in the air and hadn’t crashed into the wall or the ground?

And then she felt the sicking crushing pressure of Kukulkan’s jaw tightening around her middle, its teeth ripping and piercing flesh and bone.

As helpless as a tiny bird or mouse in the grip of a cat, Nicole struggled weakly against Kukulkan. Her blows against its snout were futile and pitiful against its powerful grip, and the poison she could feel flowing into her, weakening her fragile grip on life and her soul.

The sound and feel of Waverly’s screams roused Nicole and not even the back of her head slamming against the hard ground was enough to weaken her resolve to prevent Kukulkan from getting to Waverly.

Blood bubbled from her mouth, spraying forth as a fine mist with each breath but, gritting her teeth determinedly, she put all her strength into pushing against the mouth clamped around her. The feel of Kukulkan’s massive teeth catching on her bones as they slowly released and slid from her body had Nicole’s vision swimming sickeningly but she gritted her teeth harder and pushed with all her might.

She could hear, barely, like a distant, muffled echo of sound, the pounding of footsteps… or maybe it was the sound of her blood pumping from her body she could hear? She wasn’t sure of anything… other than the fact that the already dark cavern was shrinking down and growing darker and darker. And her love for Waverly and their girls.

The thought that she would never get to see or hold them again had tears welled up and flowed unnoticed from her eyes.

“Waves—” her voice faded away along with her strength.

**********

_“I’m here! We’re here! Hold on, Nicole!”_

Lunging forward, Waverly grabbed for the beast's jaw as Nicole’s hands started to slip and fall limp and unmoving to the ground. Tightening her grip, she pulled back with all her might with Xavier’s help. On the other end of the monster, Doc wrapped his arms around the spiked club at the end of its tail before it could swipe at them again.

Waverly had managed to duck its first strike by sheer luck… and maybe by virtue of also being the smallest target, but Wynonna hadn’t been so lucky. But, going by the muttered grumbling and the, as always, inventive use of curse words, her sister was thoroughly pissed off about being knocked head over heels, or arse over tit as Wynonna was currently putting it, and only seconds away from re-joining the fight.

Blood dripped from its jaw and shone dimly in along its fangs as they were pulled from Nicole’s body… none of it belonging to the vile creature and Waverly was determined to change that just as soon as she possibly could.

She wanted, needed, to see it bleed!

“Waves, soon as you can, pull her clear!” Xavier gritted out from behind teeth clenched so tightly he could almost feel them creak and groan with the pressure.

“I’ve got her,” Valdez assured them as she got into position by Nicole’s shoulders. She had not walked the earth and survived for as long as had by being stupid… reckless sometimes, maybe but… she was nowhere near as fast or as strong as the wolves, she had been reminded of that every step of the way down through the tunnels as she had struggled to keep up with them. She knew she was better served where she was, helping Nicole. Just as Waverly was best doing what she was doing in helping to free her and just being in sight to give her something to fight for.

That was… if there was enough of her left to even be aware that anyone was with her.

Valdez had witnessed just what evil Kukulkan could do for herself when it had rose from the depths of the earth beneath her homeland and had claimed the souls of the few of her people left. The way the poison if its bite consumed their very souls and left them an empty husk for it to rip apart and devoured piece by piece was the thing that had driven her every action for all these years. The thing that had kept her scouring the globe in search of it long after the trail had gone cold until a random computer search that had led back to the police in the Big City and then again in Purgatory had drawn her there…

To that coach…

To meeting Nicole…

To that moment…

And she wasn’t about to let neither the moment nor Nicole, slip from her grasp while she had breath to draw.

The boom of a gun barked out into the darkness, lighting up the cavern with a flash of blue that blazed across Valdez’s vision. It seemed familiar but before she could ponder on it… Kukulkan roared in pain and its grip loosening enough for her to pull Nicole clear as the shot from Wynonna’s gun scored a path across its head that actually hurt it like so little could.

With no possible way to get back to the way they had entered without being seen let alone making it through some of the more challenging areas while she was still in her massive form, Valdez hurriedly dragged Nicole back to what she could only hope was safety and gently laid her down.

The amount of blood the pooled around her body in only seconds was scary to see but the wound from Kukulkan’s attack was so extensive that there was no feasible way to stop it. Even if she used her entire fist… hell, her arm, it would have made little difference.

“Go.”

Valdez’s eyes darted to Nicole’s. The voice had been so quiet that for a moment she was sure only wishful thinking had conjured it but Nicole’s pain filled gaze slowly focused upon her.

“Help them,” she begged quietly with as much strength as she could muster. “Can’t let that thing… get out. Have to stop it here— before too late.”

Valdez knew that Nicole was right. For if they didn’t stop it there it would be because they were all too injured or dead and then who would be able too? But that didn’t make it any easier to get up and leave her even though she could see Nicole’s body already trying to knit itself back together.

“Valdez, please,” grabbing hold of her arm, Nicole raised herself up as best as she could. “Don’t let anything happen to her.”

Nicole breathed a broken sigh of relief, her body sagging back against the ground as Valdez finally relented and drew her weapon ready to help the others. Her fingers probed at the edge of the wound left by Kukulkan. Even with her natural ability to heal that had helped her fight off everything life and a seemingly endless parade of psychotic assholes had thrown at her, and the ones honed by Bulshar to push her body to the limit to fight off any kind of poisoning… Nicole just wasn’t sure there was any coming back from Kukulkan’s poison. She could feel it working on her still, the tendrils of the poison tugging on her soul rendering everything dark and cold, leaving her with the urge to just lie back and let her bones sink into the ground where she could find the peace that had been denied her so much in life.

The sounds of the battle been wrought washed over her, tugging at her conscious. But as always, it was thoughts of Waverly, the scent of her fear and the myriad of emotions being projected into her mind that kept Nicole fighting. And it was the thought of Waverly and their babies, the future they would lose if she gave up, that had her rolling over, her claws scratching against the ground as she summoned all her strength to push herself up on shaky limbs.

Nicole’s vision was blurry, the cavern swimming as she turned around. With a hand clasped around her waist in an effort to hold in her blood, the pain and all the things that shouldn’t be exposed to the air… she shuffled forward, her feet dragging upon the dusty ground.

Her speed built with each step. Determination moving her through the pain faster and faster as she saw Kukulkan set its sights upon Waverly after separating her from help. They all saw it and all moved into action. Their grit and determination coming together seamlessly.

Doc and Xavier grabbed hold of Kukulkan’s long, serpentine body, their arms struggling for grip but they slowed it down and stopped it from escaping.

As one, Nicole placed herself between Kukulkan and Waverly, its cold, unblinking eyes showing surprise to see her standing… the surprise turning to pain as she wrapped a hand around and snapped one of its fangs clean off. It was slick with poison in her hand and then with a clear, viscous liquid that sprayed out as she slammed the point deep into its eye.

Nicole felt Waverly’s hands catch her as she staggered back and slumped towards the ground.

Wynonna’s gun boomed out loudly once more. The bullet striking true as it took out Kukulkan other eye and hit the tip of Valdez’s blade as she plunged it up through Kukulkan’s jaw and dug for its brain.

Nicole blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating as Kukulkan screamed and writhed, a pale blue fire cracking through its skin from within. There was no heat, but the flames were so bright and pure in their intensity that they were painful to look at, but Nicole never once took her eyes off the sight… not even when the cavern floor cracked open beneath the creature and sucked it down into the depths. Hopefully, Nicole thought, to somewhere that was hell even for a demon.

And then she didn’t think about anything again as the darkness that had been closing in on her won. As her body went limp, her hands falling away from where they had been holding back the weakened flow of blood, the last thing she heard was Waverly screaming her name, begging her to stay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  ^^^ Me running after leaving on that cliffhanger


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the gangs battle against the serpent god, Kukulkan.

From the very moment that Nicole started to collapse towards the ground, everything within Waverly narrowed down only to her. Rushing forward, she caught her within her arms and lowered her to the ground. Waverly cradled her, using her body to protect Nicole’s much larger, shifted form from further harm as Kukulkan thrashed about above them in pain and anger, its screams shaking loose dirt and chunks of rocks from the roof and walls of the cavern until they were raining down around them, threatening to bury them.

Waverly’s fingers sank into the soft red of Nicole’s fur at her throat while her other hands tunnelled into it on her chest. She ignored the slick blood beneath her touch as she sought out the reassurance of Nicole’s pulse and heartbeat. A whimper crawled up her throat when she found it so weak and thready.

The cavern grew bright with a pure blue light that Waverly was only aware of it because of its reflection caught within the listless brown of Nicole’s gaze as her eyelids fluttered weakly, the moments between them being closed and opening again growing longer and longer.

There was a stillness in the air after Kukulkan’s body was sucked down into the bowels of the earth. It should have been a moment of joy and celebration but all Waverly could hear was the screaming in her head and the shattering of her heart as Nicole’s body started to shift back to her more normal form.

That too should have been a moment of joy but even that felt wrong. Usually, her change between forms was so fluid but it was sluggish and lacking the tingle of energy that usually came with Nicole shifting… much like the last breath leaving the body, an instinctive afterthought of movement as the body settled one last time.

“No. No. No! Don’t you dare give up on me Nicole Rayleigh Haught! You keep fighting and you shift right this instant and heal yourself!”

Tears dropped from her eyes, falling upon Nicole’s dirt-streaked face to glisten in the light growing around them.

“No!!!” Pulling Nicole desperately closer, Waverly rocked in anguish. “Help me! Don’t just stand there!” she bellowed at her sister and the others as they just stood there.

Unmoving.

Watching, but not seeing.

“’Nonna?” Waverly froze, her voice coming out a whisper as a fissure of something crawled up her spine to grab her by the back of her neck and screamed at her that something was wrong. That something was watching her.

The light from Kukulkan’s passing had faded but a new one had taken its place. Brighter. A white so pure and blinding it seemed to sing with ethereal beauty. And emerging from it was three forms but the light they emerged from was so bright that they were rendered almost formless.

“She fought well,” Julian mused.

“They all did,” Kevin shot back. The admonishing glance they received had their shoulders hunching up around their ears as their momentary bravado failed. Pulling the tattered remains of their once fine suit jacket around them, Kevin manoeuvred carefully around the statue still figures of the Werewolves and the Immortal in the wake of the others. Standing back, they watched as Julian slowly lowered himself and crouched down beside the two on the ground. “I am so sorry,” Kevin whispered. “It should not have come to this.”

“Keep your hands off her!”

Kevin blinked in bewilderment and stared almost incomprehensively at the slender hand wrapped tightly around Julian’s wrist with a grip so tight and unyielding that they could almost hear his bones grinding together under the pressure.

“You- How is it she can see me?” Julian looked from the girl's hand to her fierce hazel eyes as he addressed his question to Kevin.

“Juan Carlo always said that we underestimated them—” Kevin shot a glare to the third amongst their party as they made a disparaging sound at the name of their friend.

“I don’t much care for Juan Carlo’s methods but he saved my Mama and Kiersten and you all should have listened to him more,” Waverly growled threateningly. “How about you try the listening thing now and keep your hands away from Nicole?”

Just saying her name had her throat closing off painfully as a fresh wave of sorrow and tears stung her eyes.

“Juan Carlo was my friend and mentor. We fought at each other's side in many wars and guarded places humans could only dream about against demons,” Julian stated quietly. He sat back on his heels and watched as Waverly released her fierce grip and sobbed brokenly against the woman she obviously adored. “He always wanted us to be more than what we are. To do more. But it is forbidden.” He frowned in quiet contemplation as he realised that for the first time in more years than he could remember, he regretted the laws placed upon them that had been a part of his existence for as long as he could remember.

“So very noble of you,” Waverly spat out bitterly. “When it comes to something like that,” she pointed sharply at the ground that had claimed Kukulkan’s remains, “your system sucks!”

“How so, child?” Julian questioned, genuinely curious as to what her answer would be.

Waverly growled sharply at the angel’s question taking her away from Nicole and forcing her to think about complicated texts she had translated hastily. And for what? That battle was over… The demon was slain…

Nicole was…

… gone.

“She is right, Julian—”

“Kevin,” Julian warned softly.

“No. I’m sorry but I refuse to stay silent any longer. Kukulkan should _not_ have been allowed to roam the earth at all let alone for as long as it did. You- We all knew that but we clung to our tired ‘do not interfere’ rule. And why?”

“Kev—”

“Because we were afraid!” Kevin shouted over him. “We knew that we could not defeat Kukulkan so we hid in the shadows and stood idly by and let the humans suffer because we were too scared! Juan Carlo reached out to Nicole because he saw the strength in her, the desire and passion to do what was _right_ even though life had tried to beat it unfairly out of her.”

Carefully watching Waverly’s eyes to make sure it was okay, Kevin lowered themselves to the ground and placed a hand upon Nicole’s shoulder, and their other on Julian’s. Connecting them with her touch. “Look around you, Julian. _Look_ at _them_. They fought for what was right and won even though the odds were stacked against them.” They spared a look to Waverly, begging the young wolf’s quick mind to catch on to what their words had suggested so she could join the fight for her love.

“It was you?! That was why we couldn’t keep track of Nicole! Why we have been spread over thousands of miles searching for her instead of with her! Valdez said that Kukulkan was just as confused as they were about everything! So much for ‘do not interfere’ you self-righteous… Shit-tickets!!”

Even though it was tempting to just stand back and watch as Julian got his wings ripped off and handed to him… Kevin caught Waverly and gently restrained her as she lunged across Nicole’s body as Julian fell back in shock and landed on his ass.

“He is not your enemy in this,” they whispered softly for Waverly’s ears alone.

“We could have reached them sooner! I could have saved her! … I could have saved her…” she sobbed.

“That is why we are here.” Julian held out his hands in a placating gesture and promptly snatched them back out of reach as Waverly snarled and raked claw-tipped fingers at them. He had seen battles that no mortal could comprehend without risking insanity or death trying to do so, and yet in the face of her righteous anger, he feared for his immortal existence for the first time.

“We did not know that there were others working against you,” Kevin explained softly, forcing Waverly to still her thrashing to better hear her.

“Kevin was the first to realise and once she did- my apologies, Kevin… Once _they_ did, they came to me and we put a stop to it as soon as we could. I regret that it was not done sooner.” He sighed in sorrow as the girl sagged in Kevin’s arms and pulled away to curl around Nicole’s still body with a broken sob.

“We’re here to right the wrong, Waverly,” Kevin assured her. “For everything that was done. For everything we failed to do.”

“You- you can bring her back?” Waverly lifted her head hopefully.

“There will be a price to pay,” Julian sighed apologetically.

“Do I look like I freakin’ care?! Fix this! Please? I-I can’t do this without her,” she sobbed, gently brushing Nicole’s hair back from her forehead. “I need her… Our daughters need her… This pack and whole freakin’ town needs her! I love her,” she whispered against her too cold flesh. “Please?”

“It can’t be done here. The evil in the land from Kukulkan is just too strong.”

“Then I’ll move her, just tell me where— Oh…”

Waverly blinked in amazement as she lifted her head and found that they had already moved. No longer were they surrounded by the dank cavern and the scent of death and decay. Instead the soft dampness of the earth beneath them and the soft scents of everything that made up the one place they could be… home.

Waverly heard the sound of a door opening, the scent of vanilla and lavender growing stronger as it flowed from within but she didn’t spare a glance… not even when she heard the familiar and, right then, heart-breaking sounds of their daughters calling for them, their joy turning to high-pitched cries and broken sobbing as their innocence was shattered by what they were seeing.

“Wynonna? Waverly, what’s going— Oh my god! Come here, my angels—”

Out of the corner of her eye, Waverly saw as her Mama caught up to them and tried to gather up the children and shelter them. Whatever spell of protection the angel’s had placed upon Wynonna and the others seemed to settle upon them and they grew still, freezing in place with Dom’s arms stretched out, her whole body straining in an effort to reach them, her eyes showing the fear that threatened to overwhelm Waverly and an awareness of what was happening even though she was just as trapped as the others.

“Please?!” Waverly begged desperately once more.

The heavens opened above them once more, soaking them within seconds as Julian knelt stiffly the other side of Nicole and held his hands palm down just above the gaping wound in her body. His ragged intake of breath was almost lost to the crack of lightning and roll of thunder but Waverly heard it and didn’t care what it cost the angel.

If she could do it herself, if she had the power to heal Nicole, to bring her back home to them… she would no matter what the cost. But she was reliant upon this angel and none of them had proved themselves to be trustworthy, not by a long shot in her eyes.

His almost too kind and handsome face creased with a fierce concentration that had his whole body trembling and sweat breaking out across his that she could smell the salty tang of even with the deluge of water falling down upon them from the heavens. Biting her lip, Waverly caressed Nicole’s face with trembling fingers and offered up a silent prayer even though the fear was growing steadily within her that whatever this Julian was trying wasn’t working.

Behind eyes she hadn’t been aware of closing, Waverly grew aware of a light, and opened her eyes. The space between Julian’s hands and Nicole’s flesh pulsed with a soft light that grew brighter and bolder, enveloping Nicole’s body as the deep wound healed.

“Call to her,” Julian gritted out through tightly clenched teeth. The wolf’s soul was damaged but powerful, and fighting his offer of help like a wounded animal raging against him, not knowing that he could be trusted.

“Please, baby. Come back to me.” Waverly pressed her lips through the cold rain slickening Nicole’s face, searching for warmth in her flesh or the slightest sign of life.

Kevin sat back on their heels, their eyes transfixed upon everything happening before them. But the thing that had them blinking in shock with the glow in Waverly’s eyes. For a moment they thought that it was a reflection of the holy light pouring from Julian but the colour and the power it used was different.

Pale and beautiful as they filled her eyes and spilt outwards.

It unlocked the other wolves from the divine power holding them captive and drew them closer.

And it had Nicole’s eyes opening. Her lungs sucking in a deep, ragged breath that had her chest expanding so sharply it bowed her off the ground.

Sobbing brokenly, Waverly fell into the safety of Nicole’s arms, her fingers clutching if clothing and skin in desperation to assuage herself that she was alive.

“Haught, damn! You’re okay!”

Nicole was coming to terms with the whole breathing again thing and the fact that she was not only alive but healed and apparently laying in the mud outside their home when the air was driven out of her lungs again as Wynonna skidded to her knees and wrapped her and Waverly up in a fierce hug.

“Earp!” Nicole protested weakly.

“Hush! Boob smoosh time!”

Chuckling softly, Nicole decided to just go with it and hugged them back until Wynonna decided it was just too much sappy nonsense for her and climbed off them.

“Okay, that’s enough of all that. Don’t want you getting too many ideas being so close to all this.”

“Still not my type, Earp.” Rolling her eyes, Nicole stilled Waverly’s restlessly searching fingers as they wandered over her face. Pressing her palms to the backs of her hands, she held them closer to her cheeks and nuzzled into their warmth. “I’m okay, baby… surprisingly,” gently tugging her closer, she caressed Waverly’s nose with the tip of hers and stole a kiss that softened the lines of Waverly’s lips. “I’m okay. What the hell happened though? The last thing I remember was— Well—”

“Being all noble and self-sacrificing as usual?” Wynonna arched a brow at Nicole then left the other woman rocking as she cupped the back of her neck and pressed a kiss to the top of her rain-slicked head. “Don’t ever do that again… but also, thanks for keeping Waves safe.”

“Always will, Earp. I love her.”

“I’m right here, you know?” Waverly groused good-naturedly. “Get off of her Wynonna!” she pushed at her sister, swatting her shoulder until she chuckled and gave Nicole a bit of space. “Off! You’ve already got two mates, Nicole is mine.”

“Looks like the cavalry finally arrived!” Wynonna gritted out at the sight of Alexandria and Clarke riding out of the woods with thirty of their most trusted warriors emerging with them before a raised hand from Alexandria had them fading back amongst the trees as they continued their approach alone.

“Play nice, ‘Nonna. Their not being there was not their fault,” Waverly nodded pointedly to the three angels. “All that BS we had to put up with finding her, that was down to some heavenly meddling and nothing they did. Not their meddling!” she rushed to add as the air filled with violent growls aimed at the angels.

“It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about!”

Nicole agreed heartily but right then she was too busy to voice her opinion as trying to climb to her feet was proving to be almost too much effort as her whole body felt like she had consumed far too much of the potent alcohol that the Nymph favoured and was about as graceful and stable as a barely set jello.

“We cannot stay,” Kevin stated reluctantly as they shouldered Julian’s weight upon their shoulder. “Healing you took much out of Julian.”

“It wasn’t me that brought her back,” he shook his head. “If not for you,” he gestured to Waverly, awe in his eyes as he gazed upon her. “If not for you, she would be lost. There is _so_ much power within you, my daughter… so much power… her moon shines so brightly,” he mumbled, his head rolling back until he was looking up into the pouring rain.

“Wait!” Waverly reached out a hand as they stepped back and started to fade from sight. His mumbled words had confused her as it had almost sounded like he might have more information about her heritage. But that meant little compared to the troubling words spoken before about there being a price to pay.

Had they meant that _he_ would have to pay a price and that was why he was so exhausted or did it all fall on them… or Nicole once more.

As the angels left, the storm finally started to release its hold on the night and the thick clouds parted to allow the moon to shine through once more despite the rising sun trying to outshine its glowing brilliance.

With Waverly and Alexandria’s help, Nicole finally got her feet under her and took her first staggering steps towards the warm, inviting glow coming from their home. Clarke and Michelle gathered the girls up but Nicole could see that something was wrong with her little angel, Dom as she peered at her over Clarke’s shoulder with desperation in her eyes and a whimper trembling on her lips that built at the sound of thunder rolling in the distance.

“Hold on,” Nicole whispered. With more grit and determination than it should have taken to close the distance, she held out her arms and welcomed the tiny, trembling body of her daughter into them before leaning once more into Waverly and Alexandria’s care. “Mama’s okay, sweetie,” she whispered in quiet assurance as Dom’s arms tightened around her neck.

“I am sorry we did not make it to you in time to be more help,” Alexandria apologised profusely. They had been riding all night but the woods and land they called home and knew better than they knew themselves had become their enemy as every path they had taken, no matter how straight and true, he ended with them riding back into the village as though they were stuck in a loop that not even Clarke had been able to find a way out of to help their family.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Waverly cut her off, giving her tense shoulder a firm, reassuring squeeze as she started to explain what she had learned from the angels before Alexandria could blame herself for everything. They all knew that the proudly fierce leader of the Yiska would have been right at Nicole’s side… or more likely trying to take the fight on herself to spare them, if she’d had the chance. But the chance had been taken away from them all and it had nearly cost them Nicole.

**********

“Are you okay, Mama?” Wynonna questioned softly as she sidled closer to her mother.

“Hmm?” Michelle turned, dragging her eyes from where the angels had been standing until they had faded from sight. “What was that dear?”

“Are you okay?” Wynonna repeated herself, worry creasing her brow at the faraway look in her eyes.

“I— yes?”

“You don’t sound too sure,” Wynonna chuckled slightly at the dazed look on her Mama’s face. Not that she could blame her for being unsure about anything after everyone had appeared out of thin air when they’d only told her that they needed her for babysitting duty. Hell, she was still confused as to what had happened after she had shot Peacemaker and everything had turned blue.

Reaching out, Wynonna took Kat from her Mama’s arms and nodded her thanks to Xavier as he took Jasmin off her too. Mama might have said she was okay but they could all see that there was something going on with her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, gently nudging her with her shoulder.

“Oh, really, it’s nothing, dear. I just- Well, I could swear I’d seen that young man somewhere before.”

“Julian? He did say he was good friends with Juan Carlo. Maybe you saw him when you were with him?”

“It could be, angel.”

Michelle looked back once more as she ushered the others inside out of the steady drizzle that was all that remained of the torrential storm. That _might_ have been where she had seen Julian. Everything was still so unclear from her time with him but… There was had been something there from the moment she had seen him. Something intimate. The memory of a strong hand gently cupping her face… The soft brush of lips upon her own.

“You coming, Mama?”

“Of course!” Closing the door on the remains of the night, Michelle bustled into the kitchen and took stock of all the sodden and bedraggled people inside and felt the familiar surge that came from being a mother and having to troubleshoot a million and one things at the same time. “Right,” she clapped her hands together, “I’ll go get some towels for everyone! Alexandria, be a dear and fill the kettle! Doc, sniff out some booze for everyone!”

**********

Swept up along with everyone else, Valdez looked around at the unfamiliar faces and, for once, strangely, she didn’t feel alone even when more burst in to check on what had happened and made sure everyone was okay.

They were a strange family of all ages and abilities. But there was no question as to that being what they were, family, even though they weren’t related by blood. Werewolves, humans, Yiska, Nymphs… Valdez could taste their power and experience in the air and from the strongest to the weakest, they were all treated lovingly and respectfully. Even the Chetri she had been warned about who spent a long couple of minutes looking at her strangely as though he was on the verge of tears until Wynonna had clipped him smartly around the back of his head and told him to ‘stop being a creepy fanboy’.

She found herself standing between the leaders of the Yiska Coalition, Alexandria and Clarke. Valdez had heard whispers about them as she had wandered the globe… A Yiska and Nymph, soulmates bound for life. They were both fierce warriors and even fiercer forces for peace. And, they were shorter than she had expected… A fact she was embarrassed to say she _might_ have blurted out loud instead of keeping to herself, and in doing so, she had earned herself a raised eyebrow and quirk of full lips from Alexandria and a loud snort from Wynonna while Valdez had scowled at the whiskey glass in her hand.

“If you need a place to stay there is room for you in our village for as long as you need it.”

Valdez glanced at Alexandria, unsure as to if her ears had been playing tricks. “What?”

“You have been fighting for so many years, Princess,” Alexandria continued in Valdez’s native tongue, drawing a sheen of tears to the taller woman’s amber eyes. “It is natural to feel lost once the battle is over. To feel alone. Rest. You are amongst friends now. Take the time to find yourself and decide what you want to do next.”

“Is that what you did?”

“I’m the leader of a coalition of thirteen bickering clans… my battle is never over,” Alexandria chuckled softly. “I- we, have found a home here though… Amongst them. You never know, they and this place could be just what you’re looking for too,” she gestured around the room and paused as her eyes met Nicole’s. “Believe me, it is never truly quiet even here but they fight for what’s right. What more can we ask of anyone?”

Valdez took a long sip of her whiskey, mulling over Alexandria’s words as the oaky flavour of the amber liquid warmed a path down her throat. “Staying put… that… that sounds good,” she was almost shocked at the yearning she heard in her own voice.

**********

The day was no longer creeping upon them but blazing a trail that lit up the land and had steam rising from the earth as the rain was evaporated by the ferocity of the sun that seemed determined to have one last fling before giving in to the long months of winter that were sure to arrive any day. It was a ferocity that Nicole was valiantly ignoring in favour of giving herself over to the comfort of the mattress beneath her and Waverly’s body pressed tightly against her.

Nicole shifted on the bed. Her movement was little more than a wiggle of her spine but instantly, Waverly’s fingers tightened their already fierce grip upon the top they were tangled in, the strain of them making stitches pop, as though she was afraid that she was going to be snatched away.

A fear that Nicole found it difficult to assuage her of after it had very nearly happened and part of her still felt damaged and torn away.

A shiver ran through her, sweat breaking out across her body as the memory of how it had felt when Kukulkan had tried to claim her soul came back to her. Sliding out from under Waverly, Nicole sat on the edge of their bed, her breathing ragged and frantic as she tried to calm herself.

She wanted to reach out to Waverly and draw comfort from her but instead, she found her feet carrying her from the room and down the stairs. Each step felt leaden. Her body ached and felt weak in a way she didn’t think it ever had before. Which was saying something as she had been through some serious shit.

She just felt damaged.

Filling the kettle, Nicole put it on and started her usual morning routine. Feeding Bernie and Calamity. Getting a start on all the pots, pans and cutlery needed to get everyone fed and filling the sink with water to clean what had been left from the night before after everyone had left.

Distracted by a noise upstairs, Nicole plunged her hands into the soapy water and winced, her breath hissing out as she found the edge of a knife. Pulling her hand out, she rinsed it off under the tap and looked at the small but painful cut… waiting for the blood to stop dripping and her flesh to knit back together so she could get back to washing the dishes.

Then she waited some more…

And some more…

Her breathing quickened, panic rising as the wound stayed right where it was.

A wound so small should have healed as quickly as it had happened but it continued to spill crimson blood in slow but steady drops that stood out almost mockingly against the sink and merged with the soapy bubbles as she spun away and threw herself towards the door.

Nicole raked the sun-warmed air into her lungs, almost choking on the rich scents in her haste but at least it assuaged her that she wasn’t somehow still stuck beneath the ground in the vile cavernous pit that Kukulkan had claimed as its home.

Hand trembling, Nicole raised it. The bleeding had slowed but the cut was still there.

Curling her hand into a fist, she shifted into her wolf form…

Only…

Nothing happened!

She blinked in confusion at her pale hands pressed against the worn wood of the porch and tried, again and again, to do what had always been as easy taking a breath.

“Nicole?” Approaching slowly, Waverly knelt down behind Nicole and placed a hand upon her trembling shoulder. Her body stiffened beneath her touch and Waverly feared for a moment that she was going to bolt but finally Nicole tilted her head and pressed her cheek to her hand. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Hiccupping in a breath, Nicole stared down at her hands sorrowfully as Waverly’s question forced her to accept what had become terrifyingly obvious.

“I-I can’t change. I’ve tried but nothing happens. My wolf is gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	18. Chapter 18

Wynonna’s felt like her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest once more. It was becoming an all too regular an occurrence but at least this time it wasn’t because of some terrifying monster they needed to defeat… At least, she could only assume it wasn’t?

Waverly’s call had been ridiculously vague. Though, in all fairness, Wynonna had heard the panic in her sister's voice and had raced out of the door. Leaving behind her Mama behind to babysit the girls as the boys were working, and had her beloved truck screeching out onto the road in a cloud of burning rubber laid down by the tyres under the pressure of a heavy, booted foot on the accelerator before Waverly had really managed to tell her anything other than she was scared.

She slapped at the steering wheel impatiently as she saw the lights flashing and the barrier coming down over the train tracks to block the way. Seriously? She couldn’t even remember the last time she had ever seen a train on the tracks and it chose _that_ moment?

“Oh, hell no to this bullshit!” Wynonna gritted out. There was no way she was waiting around for some train she was pretty, semi-confidently-ish, sure didn’t even exist! With a quick glance up and down the tracks, just to be sure a train wasn’t sneaking up on her, she spun the wheel and dodged around the striped barriers without releasing an ounce of pressure on the accelerator.

She made a mental note to add to that to her list of misadventures that she planned on lecturing the girls about when they were a little older and got into mischief beyond streaking through the house. Waverly had nicknamed it her ‘do as I say, not as I do list’. Wynonna just called it the ‘I will kill them if they ever…’ list. Which, probably not unsurprisingly, was basically a list of pretty much everything she had done in her misspent youth and even more misspent adulthood.

“Come on! Faster or I’ll take Xavier up on his suggestion of a new SUV! I’m sorry, baby. That was mean of momma. You’re a good ol’ girl aren’t you?” she purred, stroking the steering wheel apologetically.

As her truck sped and bounced down the streets, Wynonna was aware of the eyes of her pack raising and following her. And of heads being lifted to allow noses to scent the air as curiosity got the better of them. Even though she herself had no idea as to what was going on, she knew that the fact that something was amiss would spread faster than anything. She could feel it, scent it, the wave of the curiosity following in the wake of her truck as though they had taken to four paws to follow their pack Alpha.

She saw some of them doing just that, their sleek bodies flashing between buildings and then the trees as they kept abreast of her even though she had her foot down. Ready to act at a moment’s notice if they were needed.

Their pack, _her_ pack, had all come so far, so fast since she had returned to Purgatory and taken up the mantle of their leader. The small steps that had led to a grudging acceptance and respect becoming a joyous rush interwoven with some downright terrifying moments once a certain redhead had come into all their lives.

They had found people and lost almost as many. They had made friends as well as enemies that extended beyond their own kind. But above all, they were stronger.

A family.

And right now, their family was hurting. She could taste it in the air even before the dust had settled from her frankly impressive handbrake turn onto the long drive that led to Nicole and Waverly’s home. “Yep, that’s another one too and to the list,” she grumbled beneath her breath to herself as she slid out of the truck.

The wolves that had followed her quietly took up guarding positions just beneath the cover of the trees, their large bodies blending with the shadows and foliage and only one concerned whine giving one of their positions away.

She knew that they would all know one version or another about what had happened the night before and how the battle had nearly cost them the strongest member of their pack. Being there was troubling Wynonna and she knew their emotions were being fed by what she was feeling as much as anything.

The horses were restless in the paddock. Nicole’s mare especially so as she lifted her head and let out a shrill whinny before clattering the sturdy fencing with a sharp kick that rang out in the stillness of the air. Their obvious agitation had Wynonna instantly regretting that she hadn’t stopped to pick up peacemaker before leaping into her truck.

“Come on, Earp,” she berated herself in a hushed whisper as she slowly turned to take in the otherwise quietness of the house. “You’re your own damn weapon.” Which was true… but it would have still been nice to have a weapon that had been an instrumental part in taking down a god.

Wynonna felt Waverly coming on a wave of vanilla and lavender scented sorrow and anguish before even her sensitive hearing picked her up. She hurried closer to the house and caught her in her arms as her sister burst out of the door in a whirl of scent and honey-brown hair and ploughed into her with such force that, even though she had been expecting it, Wynonna was knocked back a couple of steps before she managed to recover and steadied herself enough to just hold her as Waverly sobbed silently against her shoulder.

“How in the hell are you still wearing leather in this heat?” Waverly sniffed against the familiar worn-in softness beneath her cheek.

“Fashion is pain. Isn’t that what they say?”

“I don’t think that applies to ratty old frilled leather jackets.”

Cupping Waverly’s tear-stained cheeks between her hands, Wynonna brushed aside the fresh tears that tumbled from her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Waverly’s hands clung to the sleeves of her jacket, blunt nails digging into the thick leather as she relaxed into her slightly.

“Now, what’s going on, baby girl?” she asked softly.

“It’s…” Waverly broke off, her breath hitching violently.

“Take your time,” she gently encouraged. Her words acting as a reminder not to push too hard too. “Is Nicole okay? Are the girls okay?”

“I—” Waverly glanced back towards the house. “We found out what the price was those shithead angels were talking about,” she whispered.

Wynonna frowned as Waverly grew silent once more. Whatever it was, it had to be bad… but also obviously not life-threatening or there would have been more panic from Waverly… “They turned Nicole straight?”

“What? No! Trust me, she was very much, most definitely, not straight last night.”

“Ew! You could have just said ‘no’,” she groused and made a gagging noise. “Okay, then Red is still Haught-to-Trot with the lady-lovin'…” she made an obscene gesture with her hands that had Waverly blushing and slapping at them. “Then what’s going on? Tell me I didn’t just dodge a train because you ran out of your organic soya milk again?”

“You dodged a train!?”

“Shush! That’s _not_ important.”

“I beg to differ. As Sheriff, that sounds hella important to me, Earp.”

Wynonna winced at the ‘cop’ tone running like steel through Nicole’s voice. At least she was sounding normal… which she _was_ really, **_really_** glad about even if she was put out by her mad-dash, train-dodging rush to get there for no damn good reason. Or at least no reason that the idiots were telling her about yet.

“’Sup, Narc!”

“Idiot!”

“Children!” Waverly rolled her eyes at their banter. How they acted could really be like having two extra kids around but _mostly_ , she wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Mostly.

“You should be resting.”

“My mind is spinning too much,” Nicole sighed deeply. “You better come on in, Earp. And don’t think for one minute I’ve forgotten your confession,” Nicole smirked weakly as Wynonna brushed past her at the door.

“Confession? What confession? You’re imagining shit again, Red.”

Wynonna watched Nicole as she moved across the living room and sat down in one of the chairs. She couldn’t place her finger on exactly what was wrong but, even without Waverly’s panicked call that had brought her there, she would have known something was wrong from the effort it had taken.

She looked… for lack of a better, bigger word that could encompass it all… weary. Her movements were sluggish and off, lacking the usual pep and cocky swagger, and she seemed distracted in a way she had only seen before thanks to injury or some of the ridiculously strong booze she’d managed to get her to try before Nicole’s unnatural resistance to all things poisonous kicked in and pushed it out of her system.

At the sudden thought about poison, Wynonna looked Nicole over more carefully, checking for signs of discomfort in Nicole’s movements or the dry, reptilian scent of death she associated with everything to do with that snakey-bastard, god-wannabe, Kukulkan.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Nicole drew back with a frown at the intense expression on Wynonna’s face.

“Just making sure you’re okay,” Wynonna huffed as she flopped down on the couch… momentarily satisfied that she wasn’t going to have to throw Nicole in the truck and do a mad dash across town to the hospital with her.

“Well, don’t. It just makes you look kinda creepy in a constipated way, Earp.”

“Then, talk. Tell me what the hell is going on here?” The question seemed to take the teasing wind out of Nicole’s sails and she sagged back into the chair, her eyes drifting listlessly off to the side. Her throat bobbed and her jaw worked but apparently speaking was beyond her so Wynonna turned her attention back onto Waverly who was busy wringing her hands so much Wynonna felt sure she was going to tie them into knots. “Waves?”

A slight nod from Nicole had Waverly pacing as she tried to work out what to say without upsetting Nicole further until Wynonna reached out and snagged her wrist is passing.

“Sit down. You’re making me dizzy with all the back and forth,” Wynonna ordered softly. She clasped Waverly’s hands in hers, forcing her sister to face her and breath with her. “Okay? Good. Now talk before I pin you down and find the cheapest, nastiest, non-organic grape soda money and buy and pour it down your throat until you do.”

“That sounds oddly specific—”

“Hush!” Wynonna held a finger up, silencing Nicole before she could try distracting her again. “I’ll tell you all the ways I was terrible and tortured Waverly some other time.”

“Does any of that involve tranquiliser darts?”

“Nope… though I kind of wish I had thought about that.”

“Hey!”

“You know I love you, baby girl,” she gave Waverly’s fingers a squeeze and shot her and what she hoped was an encouraging smile and not another look of constipation.

“Okay,” Waverly bit her bottom lip. “I- erm. It started this morning. I felt Nicole—”

“This isn’t going to involve any lady lovin’ details, is it? ‘Cause I’m not old enough for that. I will _never_ be old enough for that.”

“’Nonna! Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?”

“Yes. But you’re going _too_ slow,” she groaned out like a petulant child.

Huffing out a sigh, Waverly pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed for patience. She knew that Wynonna was only trying to be supportive and, in typical Wynonna fashion, distracting her to gee her along, but she could be a serious strain sometimes! And for once, having Nicole there wasn’t helping as she hadn’t really liked that she had called her sister in the first place.

Not that she had really voiced her disapproval but it was written so clearly on her face when she realised what she had done.

“It’s okay, Waves. Just tell her,” Nicole whispered as encouragingly as she could without meeting Waverly or Wynonna’s gazes. One glance and they would be able to see the tears she could feel stinging her eyes when she had to speak out loud instead of using their bond.

As Waverly talked, and talked, recanting in detail how she had woken when she had sensed her anguish… Nicole let it all wash around her and stomped down ruthlessly on anything that would give away her emotions as Waverly told Wynonna how she could barely feel their link any more.

The part of her that had been trained to recognise it in others knew that she was in shock. Her mind shutting down on the things she didn’t want to deal with. But the part of her trying to stumble through the darkness and dullness that was life without her wolf… that just didn’t care what the _fuck_ ‘Cop Nicole’s’ training said!

“I’m going to go get the kids dressed.” She just couldn’t take sitting there anymore!

“Nicole!?” Waverly reached out a hand but Nicole’s long, angry strides had already taken her out of reach and she was heading up the stairs.

“Just give her a moment to calm down,” Wynonna advised gently as they listened to Nicole’s distressed sob before she opened up the nursery door and entered with a cheery greeting to the babies that she was so obviously not feeling. Once the door was shut, Wynonna turned her eyes back to her sister.

“Those bastards really took her wolf? That was their ‘price’? Fuck!” she bit out at Waverly’s nod. “No! No!”

“No?” Waverly lifted her head hopefully as her sister stormed to her feet and paced the length of the room, her body bristling with righteous anger that sparked through the air and had Waverly’s wolf pacing restlessly.

“No! No, they _won’t_ get away with this! They can’t just take away what she is! She saved the lives of countless people by taking on something they were too chickenshit to face and nearly lost her life doing it! They don’t get to do that! Just… No! We’ll figure this out, Waves,” Wynonna stated gently but firmly as she pulled Waverly back into her arms again. “I swear it.”

“And if you can’t?”

Dropping her hands from Waverly’s shoulders, Wynonna watched as Nicole slowly walked down the stairs from where she had been apparently been listening in. “Sneaky-Haughty.”

“We’re out of diapers up there,” Nicole explained somewhat unnecessarily she felt as it was her home.

“There is no can’t in this,” Wynonna stated firmly as she moved to gently block Nicole from passing. “We will figure it out. But…” she sighed, “ _if_ that should change… now and forever, you’re pack. You’re _family_ , whether you can change and run with us or not.”

“I really need to find out the diapers before the kids get up to anything.”

Wynonna frowned in concern as Nicole brushed past her and carried on her way only to repeat the journey back up the stairs moments later with a ridiculously sized pack of diapers tucked under her arm.

With a jerk of her chin, she gestured to Waverly to follow her out to her truck.

“I’m worried,” Waverly sighed sadly as she leaned back against the sun-warmed metal of Wynonna’s blue truck and gazed up at her home. Her eyes found the nursery window and searched for a glimpse of her love but all was still.

“Hey, we’ve got this, Waves. Team Earp. We will work this shit out and get our girl back. Bet there will be some premium research for you to do,” she gave Waverly’s shoulder a little nudge of encouragement with her own but her heart was aching too much for it to be of little help and she knew that Waverly had to be feeling ten times worse. “Listen, I’m going to catch up with the guys, see if Xavier and Jer have heard of anything happening like this before. Never know what they might have come across in the BBD archives.”

“Okay.”

“Stay strong, baby girl.” Pulling her closer, Wynonna rested her forehead against Waverly’s for a long moment. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt Waverly’s tense body sag against her and release a tremulous breath. “Stay strong,” she whispered softly once more before she drew back. The words were for herself as much as for Waverly and even Nicole.

“I’m scared,” Waverly admitted shakily. Biting her lip she looked away, desperately hoping that Wynonna wouldn’t question her fears as she didn’t want to voice them in case it brought them to life.

“I know. I know, baby girl,” she gave Waverly an extra strong hug, hoping that it would fill them both with strength. “I am too. Just… stay strong, for both of you. We’ll figure this out. I swear.”

**********

Wynonna took her time after she climbed back into her truck. Needlessly adjusting everything she could think of in an effort to calm herself. Through the rear-view mirror, she could see Waverly standing there, hunched around the arms she had wrapped around her waist. And, behind her, a shadowy outline standing at the nursery window.

She could only begin to imagine what they were both going through, especially Nicole. Their wolves were a part of them. Not some curse of disease concocted by Hollywood as some still believed. They were born wolves. They died wolves. And from one to the other they lived as wolves; singing in praise to the moon above them and running beneath its pale, comforting glow.

That was how it was meant to be.

To have that stripped away, the very nature of what she was, in some bullshit idea of _payment_ , was a terrifying thought that had Wynonna’s body shaking so hard she had to grip the steering wheel tightly just to still their trembling enough to gain the control to turn the key in the ignition without snapping it off.

**********

Waverly watched as Wynonna drove away at a far more sensible speed than she had used to get there. She caught the shift of bodies in motion through the trees as wolves slipped deeper into the woods to go about their business… though if some of them stayed close just in case it wouldn’t surprise her but Waverly paid them no mind. Head lifting, she glanced up at the bedroom window but if Nicole had been watching, and she would bet anything that she had been, she was no longer there.

She whined uncertainly, aching to reach out and hear Nicole through her mind and feel her. And yet being terrified to even try in case there was nothing there to feel. What if what the angels had done had broken their mating bond? What if Nicole no longer wanted her because that was gone?

Waverly _knew_ her fears were ludicrous. Being soul mates had drawn them together but that had only been a part of it. It was their attraction and then their love that had shaped what that connection had become. Unfortunately, knowing how silly she was being, didn’t assuage her fears.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Waverly straightened her shoulders and made her way back inside. Almost instantly she felt herself start to relax as the noise and chatter of their precious, and far too excited children, washed over her. Following the sounds, she leaned against the wall between the living room and kitchen to watch as Nicole wrangled the kids and got them settled for a late breakfast… or tried to.

Dom was being unusually clingy with Nicole. Usually, she would be running around with her sisters or chasing Bernie but that morning she was balanced on Nicole’s hip with her head burrowed down against Nicole and her fingers wrapped up on her clothing and hair.

Waverly almost offered to help but she was enraptured by the sight and unwilling to break the mood with what she felt sure would be a question that would be unwelcome on so many levels.

“She just doesn’t want to be put down this morning,” smiling softly over her daughter at Waverly, Nicole stroked her free hand over the Dom’s head and back and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Her smile widened as her daughter sighed into her neck and pressed closer with a tiny wiggle that was so much like Waverly’s.

“I can’t say that I blame her,” Waverly smiled and moved closer. With their daughter sandwiched between them, surrounding her in their scent, she rose up and met the dip of Nicole’s head. Their lips met with a perfect alignment that managed to raise Waverly’s hopes and ardour at the same time.

Nicole eased back slowly, returning time and again to pepper the soft pillows of Waverly’s lips with lingering kisses that stole her senses and her breath. Waverly’s eyes were glazed over, her pupils wide as they flickered down to her mouth in a way that said she was eager for so much more.

Unfortunately, the hunger of the girls was making itself known in disquiet grumblings of mouths and tummies that said clearly that they were done waiting.

“Oh my,” Waverly’s eyes grew wide and she giggled as Dom’s stomach let out a growl that she could feel vibrate against her. “Someone is hungry.”

“Yeah,” Nicole grinned. “Unfortunately we need to feed the girls first.”

“Nicole!”

She grinned at Waverly’s scandalised expression. “Breakfast is just about ready. I’ll serve up if you want to see if you can get Dom to— Okay, maybe not,” Nicole chuckled as Dom tightened her arms determinedly around her neck and let out a whimper as Waverly moved to take her off her hands to settle her to eat.

Laughing softly, Waverly rubbed a hand soothingly down Dom’s back and pressed a kiss to the back of her head. “Looks like you’ve literally got your hands full,” she smiled. “I’ll serve while you take care of this one.”

Quickly coming to realise that Dom just wasn’t going to let go of her even with the lure of her favourite breakfast, Nicole pulled out her chair at the kitchen table with her in her lap and snuggled her baby closer while Waverly bustled around quickly settling the girls in to eat. The soft, melodious tone of her voice and the extra wiggle of her hips and brush of fingers across her shoulders when she was caught watching, teased a smile to Nicole’s lips.

When she had left Wynonna and Waverly to talk and been alone with her doubts, Nicole was ashamed to admit even to herself that she had come close to just bolting. Her love for her Waverly and the girls grew every day but… what good was she without her wolf?

Her senses felt so dull and listless, muted down until she felt scooped out and hollow. A sorry excuse of a shell of the person she had been.

Before, _not_ listening in to casual conversations across a room and tuning out everyday noise was something she had grown up getting used to. And while she would have never wanted to listen in to what Waverly and Wynonna had been talking about, the fact that she could hear nothing but a muted whisper even when straining her ears had been a bitter pill to swallow.

But… She had promised Waverly that she would be there as long as _she_ wanted. At her side through life in everything. And she would fight tooth and nail to keep that promise. To be worthy enough and strong enough. To just be enough even though at that moment she felt worthless.

For Waverly.

For their children.

And also, in her position as Sheriff, for the Werewolf and non-Werewolf citizens of Purgatory.

She would find a way to be enough.

And right then, being enough meant having the ability to dodge splashes of breakfast as the kids seemed determined to wear more than they were eating.

“Maybe we should re-decorate the kitchen a nice oatmeal colour?” Waverly mused wryly, booping Kat on the tip of her tiny nose with a finger while skilfully evading sticky, grabbing fingers as she mopped up the latest spill.

“Yeah… but then they would just try to recolour it with some other food group,” Nicole chuckled as she wiped down the still subdued Dom’s face and hands. “You wanna go play with your sisters?”

Waverly pressed the back of her hand to Dom’s forehead as she shook her head and buried herself back against Nicole. “Hmm, she doesn’t feel hot,” she whispered in concern. Crouching down, her body leaning against Nicole, she caught Dom’s gaze. “You okay, sweetie? Don’t you want to run around with Kat?”

Eyes usually alight with mischief darted from where her sister was running around the kitchen bouncing around on four paws with Bernie and circling around trying to entice Kat to join her before the moved tellingly to Nicole with the same look in her eyes as Waverly had seen the night before when the angels had returned them home.

“Play wit’ mama,” Dom muttered determinedly against Nicole’s neck, her fingers tangling with Nicole’s hair as she turned her back on her sister's playful antics.

“Nic. She- I think she saw more than she needed to, last night when—” Waverly whispered, carefully keeping her voice as even as she could. The others had seen Nicole on the ground but for most of the time when they had been held frozen in place they had been shielded from seeing more. Dom, her eyes had been in their direction the whole time and even at such a tender age, they had already proved themselves to be very powerful so who was to say what she could remember? “Shi— Fudgenuggets,” she bit out quietly.

“Baby,” gently lifting Dom’s face with a finger, Nicole held her gently, her hands running soothingly over her tiny body while Dom played with her clothes and fingers when they were in reach. “Far too smart, just like your mama. You _know_ something is wrong, don’t you?” Dom’s body went still and she tried to get closer again. “You just want mama to be happy don’t you?”

“Yep.”

“Know what would make mama happy?”

“Run?”

“Well, yeah,” Nicole smiled gently at Dom’s belligerent tone. “But what would make me really happy is to see _you_ run.” She tickled her fingers along the crease of Dom’s neck until she hunched her shoulders and giggled. “Until I can run again, you need to run whenever you want… okay?”

“’Kay. Later?”

Nicole smiled sadly at the hopeful look in her eyes. At that age, the concept of time was skewed and just a couple of hours could seem like a lifetime away. “We’ll see, baby. We’ll see.”

Standing up, Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s shoulders, cradling her head against her as Dom ran off to join Kat with the usual spring in her often unsteady stride restored. A sorrowful whine threatened to crawl out of her throat for her daughter and the woman in her arms but it was silenced. First by a hard, determined swallow and then by the shifting of Nicole’s face against her and the weight of her brown eyes peering up through wayward strands of red hair.

“What?” she squeaked out, feeling strangely like she had been caught doing something wrong in her gaze.

“I want the same for you too, Waverly.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do,” Nicole chuckled and gave the end of Waverly’s tastily braided hair a gentle tug. “You’re already trying far too hard not to do anything ‘wolf’ in case you upset me… Don’t try denying it. It’s sweet but I don’t want or need that, Waves. Even if I never get to change or run again I would never want or ask you to hold back what you are.”

“It’s not fair—”

“No, it’s not,” Nicole agreed with a heavy sigh. “But it is what it is.”

“For now.”

“For now. The girls are growing so fast… some days a little too fast,” she chuckled as Dom and Kat rushed by with a clatter of claws on the floor. “Neither of us had a normal childhood—”

“Understatement of the year right there.”

“Yeah,” she chuckled wryly. “As much as they can though, I want them to all know normal. I want them to grow up unafraid of what they are. What they can do. That’s why we agreed not to hold them back when it comes to shifting so early.”

“I know—”

“So…” lifting a hand, Nicole softly caressed the fine line of Waverly’s jaw, her thumbs brushing across her cheekbones. “They need you to show them it’s okay, Waves. Don’t hold back on my account.”

Closing her eyes, Waverly nuzzled into the warm cradle of Nicole’s palm. “It still sucks,” she whined.

“Yeah… We’ll figure it out somehow though,” Nicole sighed. Pushing up from her seat, she busied herself clearing the table and piling the dishes next to the sink. The sight of the bowl made her finger twitch in memory of the knife slicing into it a few short hours earlier.

God, but that felt like a lifetime ago!

The utter sadness in Nicole’s voice just made Waverly wonder if she could figure out a way to summon some feathered shit-tickets back down from their heavenly perch and clip their wings until they put everything right. Or just pull them off, pulling them off sounded better and more satisfying.

“You’re thinking some evil thoughts there, Ms Earp.”

“You- you could hear them? Feel them?” Waverly cocked her head on one side eagerly.

“Waves,” Nicole chuckled and shot Waverly a smirk over her shoulder. “Baby. You growled. It was kinda sexy.”

“Kinda?” Smirking, she crossed the kitchen with maybe just a little extra sway to her hips than was strictly necessary but she blamed Nicole and her sexy smirk and the husky growl lacing her voice. Pressing against the solid line of her warm back, Waverly snaked her hands around Nicole’s trim waist. “Wanna head back to bed when the kids settle for a nap and I can show you how kinda sexy I can be?”

“Mmmm, a more than tempting offer,” Nicole let her know just how tempting that was with a wiggle of her hips that brushed her ass back into the cradle of Waverly’s body to pull a thick groan from her. “But…” she sighed regretfully and tried to regain some modicum of self-control. “I’m working today, baby.”

“What? You nearly died last night, Nicole!”

“Yes. But, I’m still Sheriff, Waverly. Almost dying didn’t change that, and I’m sure there’s still a shit-ton of paperwork to coordinate and file with Pietersen about everything that went down.”

Turning around in Waverly’s embrace, Nicole cradled her closer. “Hey, I’ll be okay. The thing with being Sheriff is the endless paperwork to tie me to my desk where I can’t get into any trouble.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Waverly waggled her eyebrows in what she hoped was a cartoonishly suggestive way in an effort to lighten the mood for them both.

After what had happened… after nearly _losing_ her… god, that was difficult to say even in her own head… But keeping Nicole tied up right where she could find her and keep her safe from all the things that _could_ hurt her now more vulnerable body sounded like a perfectly rational response.

Going for lightness seemed to work though, as Nicole’s fine brows went through a lightning fast, but thoroughly amusing, journey from a pulled together confusion to nearly disappearing into her hairline before dropping back to do a waggle of their own that was ridiculously effortless and seductive when paired with her dimpled smirk.

“Oh, you want to tie me up huh?”

The gravelly purr roughening Nicole’s voice shot straight between Waverly’s thighs, pooling as liquid heat that built up like a rising tide to wash over her. Within seconds it stole her ability to think of anything that didn’t involve their naked bodies writhing together. The thought was so all-consuming she could almost feel it and hear the moans that would be ripped from them both by their passion.

Wrapping her hands up in the hem of Nicole’s shirt, Waverly tugged on it, pulling her closer but no matter how much contact there was it was never close enough. “Bed. Now.” She gritted out huskily between sharp nips aimed at Nicole’s neck that ghosted over her mating mark.

With a deft motion of her hips, Nicole smartly swapped their positions, pressing Waverly back into the cold edge of the counter with the weight of her body between eagerly spread thighs as she caught Waverly’s soft, eager gasp with her mouth. Nicole lost herself for a long moment, her intentions flying out the window as their lips and tongues danced together heatedly and she feasted on the gasps and sighs pouring into her from Waverly’s mouth.

Reluctantly, slowly, she drew back on her kisses and eased her hands out from under Waverly’s clothing where they had worked their way to. The lips chasing hers were gently swollen and suffused with colour from the intensity of their kisses and from the way her own tingled and drew Waverly’s heated gaze she knew hers were just the same.

“God, I want you.”

“I want you too,” Nicole husked back. “But,” she gently restrained Waverly’s hands before they went to work on her clothes, “I really need to get ready for work and…” she smiled as right on cue, Dom and Kat barrelled through the kitchen to pounce of Mel and Jas who had been minding their own business in the living room.

“Kids,” Waverly chuckled fondly. “Okay… Later?” she asked, unintentionally echoing Dom’s words.

“We’ll see,” Nicole smirked until Waverly’s knowing fingers expertly found delicate areas to poke and prod. “No! Okay! Okay! Stop that! Definitely… _Ahhh_ … Definitely later!” she huffed out between panted chuckles as she wrapped Waverly up in her arms with her hands pinned out of reach of mischief.

Dipping her head, Nicole claimed a couple more sweet kisses before reluctantly releasing her hold and stepping back. “Now, no more distracting me.”

“Me? I would never,” Waverly denied while deliberately smoothing her hands down her clothes in a way she knew would distract Nicole. Smirking at the dazed expression on Nicole’s face, Waverly turned Nicole around and gave her a quick nudge to get her moving. With a slight stumble over her own feet, she walked across the living room, scooping up an expectantly waiting Dominique on her way before heading up the stairs with Kat and Bernie scampering after them.

Even as she busied herself around the kitchen, cleaning up and watching over Mel and Jas’ antics, Waverly kept her senses upon the bedroom above. Kat and Dom were talking away a mile a minute with questions heaped upon questions and, bless her, Nicole took the time to answer them even when they barely gave her the chance before they were on to their next question.

Waverly could scent Dom’s concern threading through the air the nearer it got to Nicole leaving and knew that hers was doing the same as she just didn’t want to let her out of her sight even though she knew she had to at some point.

“Hey.”

Waverly jumped, her hands clutching at the kitchen table in surprise at being so lost in her own head that Nicole had managed to get so close without her even realising that she had left the bedroom. Warm hands came to rest upon her waist, gently steadying her. Waverly followed the line of strong forearms up to defined biceps and the gentle slope of her shoulders, pausing to straighten her slightly crooked collar before lacing her fingers together at the nape of Nicole’s neck.

Strengthening her resolve, Waverly leaned back to meet Nicole’s steady gaze and prayed that she wouldn’t see the worry in her eyes.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

“If that was true, you would be back already,” Waverly pouted softly.

Dipping her head, Nicole instinctively nuzzled her nose and lips against her mark upon the delicate, warm curve of Waverly’s neck and felt her return the motion. Closing her eyes, she breathed her in. The subtle scents of her shampoo and body wash mingled and merged together with the enticing, headier scent that was purely Waverly and filled Nicole to bursting.

**********

Waverly scooped Dom up into her arms and swayed gently from side to side in an effort to calm them both as she let and a whimper of distress after Nicole left the house.

“Mama will be home soon, sweetie,” she softly assured her as Nicole gave one last wave and a softly dimpled smile before driving away.

Long after the sound of the engine had faded and she had released Dom to play with her sisters, Waverly remained at the window gazing out blindly. She brushed her thumb across her lips, stirring the memory of their kisses and the scent and taste of vanilla dipped doughnuts that lingering upon them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - Just wanted to add a quick note to say how much I have been loving the comments :) I kind of feel bad for not replying to them but RL me is going through a heavy bout of BLEAH right now (depression sucks and I'm questioning and doubting everything I do in life and FF) and... y'all are getting awfully close with some of your guesses and I don't want to give the game away ;)
> 
> I read and love every one though so please, don't take my silence to mean that I don't :)

Nicole’s hands were shaking beyond her control upon the wheel long before she reached the outskirts of Purgatory. Wracked with nerves, fearing that her senses were so dulled by her wolf’s absence it would cause her to miss something on the road that would cause an accident, it took everything within her to turn into her usual parking space at the municipal buildings and not keep on driving. Though, with how wrecked her nerves were, abandoning her vehicle and just walking home or straight on through to their home at the village to lose herself in the quite there seemed more than tempting.

Nicole was nothing if not stubborn though. It was what had kept her going through life instead of surrendering to what people expected her to be or do. It was what had made her finally pursue her dreams and join the academy even though she knew that, even though it would have really been illegal for them to do anything, if she was exposed as a Werewolf, there would be little chance of her getting a job in law enforcement or anywhere else, and she would have no doubt ended up tagged on a computer somewhere for everyone to see and use against her. That, probably more than pack dynamics, was what kept Werewolves isolated. Things were changing slowly but it was difficult for many to even want to try when doing so could result in being treated worse than a registered sex offender or, as it had in too many cases, get you killed.

That same stubbornness had her turning off the engine and climbing from the vehicle to finally make her way inside the building… after staring at it for a long minute or two with her hand hovering uncertainly over the door handle of her vehicle. She wanted to be enough for Waverly, for their kids, and the town, and she couldn’t be that if she was too afraid to go to her own office.

The chatter of voices and bodies moving around enveloped her along with a blast of heat from the poorly ventilated building as she opened the door. Even though it was muted, it was familiar and welcome… even if it did trail off and fall to silence as her presence was noted and heads swivelled to watch her walk by.

Small towns… one of the few places where gossip could spread faster than a wind-driven wildfire or a badly photoshopped picture of one of the Kardashian’s. Faster even than Wynonna that one time there had been a rumour that the doughnut shop she loved was having a sale. It wasn’t, but that hadn’t stopped her from buying everything she could anyway.

Nicole could see the speculation in their eyes… Facts couldn’t outrun gossip. They knew something was wrong but not what and the curiosity was killing them even though they were too respectful or just not brave enough to come out and ask what was going on. And as Nicole really didn’t want to talk about it she just largely ignored their looks and made her way to her office. In a not so subtle way that said she was unavailable, she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it for a second as life returned to normal in the bullpen thanks to a hushed word from J.D.

Her phone lit up as she placed it on her desk. The perfect timing of Waverly’s smiling face appearing on the screen making Nicole wonder for a moment if Waves hadn’t bugged her office so she could keep an eye on her.

“Hi, Cutie!” She could almost hear Waverly’s smile at her usual greeting and in the background, she could hear Dom let out an excited ‘Mama!’ that had the voices of the others rising with her. She chuckled softly as she heard Waverly give an exasperated huff that was followed by the sound of a door clicking shut and the ambient sounds shifting in a way that said Waverly had taken herself outside to evade their daughters for a moment. “You know, one day, CJ is going to show them her secret route out of the house and you won’t be able to do that?”

“Well, before that happens you will just have to put on your sexy flannel shirt, grab your tool belt and plug those holes won’t you?” Smiling at the picture now in her head, Waverly propped her hip up against the porch rail and kept an eye on the kids through the kitchen window.

“Flannel isn’t sexy.”

“It is how you wear it,” Waverly purred appreciatively. Cradling the phone closer to her ear, she closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed into the soothing sound of Nicole’s quiet breathing.

“Is everything okay, Waves? Not that I mind the call, you know that,” she rushed to add on.

“I was about to ask you that,” she smiled, clearly picturing Nicole’s long fingers tucking her hair behind her ear just from the motion she could hear through the phone. Her fingers twitched, aching to smooth down the errant strand she just knew Nicole’s own fingers had missed. “I just got a text from Jer.”

“Jeremy?” Nicole straightened in her chair and glowered out through the blinds at her office windows across the bullpen to the door that led into Black Badge.

“Yes, Jeremy.”

“And what did Jeremy have to say?” she growled out softly.

“He said that you were just standing outside and he wanted to know if you were okay. Nicole… what are you doing?” Pulling the phone away from her ear, Waverly gazed at the screen as though it would reveal the answer to the strange tapping noises accompanying the muffled grumbling, growls purring rather sexily from Nicole’s throat. “Babe?”

“Just sending Jeremy a text. There!” Grinning wolfishly, Nicole tapped send and settled back in her chair.

“Nicole Haught! What did you do?”

“I might have sent him a friendly reminder about what happens to people that tattle.” What she’d actually put was ‘Snitches get stitches, Chetri!’ but the tone lacing Waverly’s voice said she would probably drive down _just_ to clip her around the back of the head if she’d admitted to that.

The text was well worth it though just to hear a startled squeal and a clatter of things bouncing along the floor moments later.

“Jeremy! What the hell?!”

“I’m not a snitch!”

“You are so bad,” Waverly muttered around a barely suppressed chuckle.

“Well. He should have just asked me how I was instead of bothering you,” Nicole huffed.

A bark of laughter nearly tore out of her as the BBD door opened and Jeremy tumbled out wearing what appeared to be a ton of bright glitter. Rosita following in his wake sparkling only a little less brightly.

“He’s our friend and he was worried. Also, you still scare him a little,” she added as she absentmindedly opened up the photo Nicole had just sent her. “Oh. My. God,” she snorted at the sight. “That is going to spread _everywhere_. If you come home later with any on I will be waiting with the hose and you will be sleeping outside.”

“Duly noted,” Nicole chuckled, making a mental note to avoid contact with BBD for the foreseeable future. Not even the desire to know why Jeremy was playing with glitter in the first place was worth Waverly’s wrath if she ended up picking bits of it off the kids until the day they grew up and left home.

“So…”

Nicole shifted in her seat at the hesitant, almost questioning tone of Waverly’s voice. “I’m okay,” she assured her just as softly. “Really. Just…”

“What, baby?”

“The drive here was, interesting,” she admitted, her lips twisting in a wry grimace. “I’m sure you’ve seen more than your share of drunks while working at Shorty’s…” Waverly’s snort was telling. “Well. You know how they stagger all over the place ready to fall over at the slightest breeze but they’re convinced they’re perfectly fine?”

“Yeah?”

“I feel how they look. It’s just so strange going from being able to see and smell just about anything coming from miles away to… _this_ ,” she finished sadly.

“Oh, Nic—”

“Just need time to adjust I guess.”

“We’ll figure this—”

“We don’t know that it can be, Waves!” she bit out harder than she intended. “Sorry. I—”

“It’s okay. You’ve got every right to be frustrated.”

“Not with you. Never with you,” she apologized softly. “I’m not giving up. But I can’t just- I can’t ignore that this might be how things are going to be from now on either.”

“As long as you know that no matter what, I’m with you in this and everything else. _I. Love. You_. Even if you never get to change again, _that_ isn’t going to change.”

“I love you too.” Smiling softly, Nicole sank into the curve of her chair, feeling at peace under the weight and promise of Waverly’s words for the first time since she had left home. “I needed to hear that more than I realised.”

“If you want I could drop the kids off with Clarke and come remind you just how much I love you, in person.”

“And run the risk of glitter infection?” She snorted out a laugh at Waverly’s grumble of disgust. Waves hadn’t been too fond of glitter since the strawberry scented debacle when Wynonna had managed to get her drunk at Pussy Willows. “Seriously though, I’m okay… Enough to make it through the day until you can remind me in a place a little less exposed than my office. Which really is overflowing with a shit ton of paperwork I’ve got to get through.” Grimacing, she eyed the teetering piles of folders jammed into several in trays on her desk.

“At least it will keep you out of trouble.”

“Paper cuts are a thing, Waves!” she whined pitifully for sympathy.

“I’ll kiss them all better when you get home,” Waverly promised playfully. She winced at the sound of tiny hands thudding against the closed door while a pitiful whimper crept around the edges of the wood. “Do you want a quick word with the girls before you get to all that dangerous paperwork? Jesus!”

Nicole cocked her head at the dull thud she heard over the phone. “Was that—”

“Your daughters trying to remove the door with their bare hands? Yep.” Huffing at their persistence, Waverly opened the door between them to mock glower down at the up-tilted and thoroughly unrepentant faces gazing up at her so innocently like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths. “And what do you lot think you are up to?”

They smirked and scattered… all but Dom who gazed past her legs nervously and then raised her arms, her fingers gesturing in a grabbing motion as she looked at the phone in her hand with a face alight with love and childish longing as she quite obviously heard Nicole on the other end. “You want to speak with Mama?”

“Mhm. Want Mama. Pwease!”

“Okay, pumpkin,” Waverly ruffled Dom’s baby fine curls affectionately. “You go sit on the couch for me. You’ve got time, right?” she questioned softly as Dom hurried ahead of her and hauled herself onto the couch.

“Always.”

Settling back more comfortably in her chair, Nicole accepted the request to change to a video called. Her heart swelled with love and all thoughts of paperwork and everything else drifted away at the sight awaiting her of Dom snuggled into the curve of Waverly’s body with a beaming smile breaking across her face that matched the one on Waverly’s. It wasn’t long until the others joined them, their bodies crowding together as they all tried to be seen and heard in an excited, loving babble.

**********

Waverly smiled lovingly as Dom finally climbed down off the couch and ran off to play with her sisters, leaving her alone with Nicole. Sliding off the couch herself, she moved into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

“I guess I’d better let you get back to work… or start work?” She bit her lip apologetically knowing they had kept Nicole from her job for close to an hour. Even so, she was reluctant to end the call even though she knew she should.

“Waves. Hey. I needed this just as much as they or you did. And, I got work done…” which had mostly been because as soon as they had realised who she was chatting with, just about everyone in the department had found something that needed signing urgently so they could pop in and give the girls a wave.

“And no paper cuts to show for it,” Waverly smirked briefly into the camera.

“Yet,” Nicole chuckled softly in return. “Waves. What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing,” Waverly denied as she dragged her attention back to the phone.

“You keep glancing towards the door.”

“I do? I do,” she realised with a frown. “Okay. It’s Dom. I tried to get them outside to run off some energy after you left… Nic, she turned tail and ran back to hide in the living room. Pretty sure it’s because—”

“Because the last she went out through it she saw me die.”

Waverly winced, pain lancing through her at the word and the memory. “Yeah,” she swallowed thickly.

“Then, we’ll just have to erase those bad memories and replace them with better ones,” Nicole smiled softly.

“You’ve got something in mind?”

“I might have,” Nicole shrugged, not wanting to promise too much just then. “I’ll let you know when I’m getting off… Off work,” she added as Waverly’s teasing smirk and arching brows drew attention to her words. “So bad,” she purred darkly, eliciting a tremble and needy whimper from Waverly that had her shifting around in her chair. She ached to say more, to pull even more responses out of her but they were both surrounded by children. “I’d better get started on some of this mountain of paper.”

“Okay,” Waverly pouted softly. “Just, mind those fingers. I might need them later.”

“Might?”

“Fine, I definitely will. Always,” she purred, “and that wicked tongue of yours too so don’t overwork that either.”

“Don’t worry, any tongue-lashing I will save _all_ for you, baby.”

“What kind of unicorn infested bullshit is this? Why in the blue hell is everything covered in glitter!? Nedley!!!”

“Oops!” Nicole hunkered down in her chair, stifling a giggle with a hand as Judge Andras rounded the corner shaking her hands furiously, a look of wide-eyed confusion on her face as glitter rained down from them. The confusion switched to one of almost malicious glee and Nicole was actually left almost feeling sorry for Bunny Loblaw as the judge flicked enough glitter off her hands to use her phone to set up a meeting with the woman.

“If Bunny wasn’t such a raging xenophobe as well as a homophobe I could almost feel sorry for her,” Waverly whispered into the phone as she gave an appreciative nod to Emily’s plan. “Almost.”

“I don’t know why they don’t just fire Bunny or run her out of town.” Just thinking about the woman and her needling jibes had Nicole’s nails digging into the arm of her chair.

“The same reason that no one did a hell of a lot against Tucker Gardner… well, apart from Constance,” Waverly winced. She wasn’t sure if anyone deserved that kind of fate but of anyone, Tucker was pretty deserving of being sucked dry and left a husk by a raging witch-bitch. “Bunny comes from a long line of ‘good’, influential people with a hell of a lot of money that knew where to spread it to distract from their not so good dealings. That, and knowing how to tiptoe around the law, helps her to get away with a lot more than she should be able to.”

“One of these days she’s going to say something to the wrong person and end up buried up to her neck in the salt flats.”

“Are you threatening her, Nicole?”

“No… I’m just saying that if someone with a shovel came along dragging her Bunny with them and asked for directions to the flats… there are an increasing number of days where I would be sorely tempted to offer them a ride and the money to hire a backhoe.”

“Sheriff Haught! That is dark!”

“Mhhh.” Shrugging her shoulders, Nicole spun her chair in a nonchalant circle.

“No, I approve… actually, I’m quite aroused right now.” She giggled as Nicole let out some kind of a noise and nearly fell out of her chair. “There’s my soft Alpha. Now, go, do work… avoid paper cuts.”

“Yeah, yeah. Paperwork.”

“I know, it’s the worst.”

“Totally the worst! But, a Sheriff’s work is never done so,” she sighed as Waverly giggled at her antics. “Hey, I’ll call you later, okay?”

“You better.” Waverly’s fingers itched with the need to retuck Nicole’s hair back behind her ear and trace the fine line of her jaw. It was a need that was always present but, with everything Nicole was going through the ache was a physical, stifling pressure that had her digging her nails into her palms to ground herself and stave off the tears starting to sting her eyes.

“I’ll be home soon, baby,” Nicole promised, sensing that Waverly was getting overwhelmed. “I love you so much.”

**********

Waverly stared at the screen long after the call ended and it went dark. Her fingers traced along the edge of the screen in a desperate attempt to hold on to the memory of the love in Nicole’s eyes for as long as she could without the warmth she had grown used to flowing through her from their bond.

With the kids occupied, she quickly bustled around, occupying her body and mind in a flurry of cleaning. It was always there though, the gaping maw of silence where Nicole usually resided like a comforting, solid weight.

Pressing her knuckles to her lips, she held in the sob as she sank to the floor of their bedroom. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she buried her face against them and let her tears fall unchecked.

It felt so unbelievably selfish of her to the point that she felt sick for mourning when she still had Nicole with her but… It just hurt so much and felt too raw a pain.

And… she was terrified that Nicole would somehow grow to resent her for saving her life at the cost of her wolf.

The fear whispered venomously, worming its way into her mind and eating away at all the good and love that she knew to leave behind only fear and doubt in its wake.

From the living room, the background buzz of voices raised in childish joy faded away into a silence that finally broke through Waverly’s sorrow.

Her senses snapping into high alert, Waverly lifted her head from where she had it pressed against the tear dampened fabric of her pants. Her hands pressed into the floor as her body coiled ready to spring into action in defence of her babies… or just to see what mischief they had gotten into.

And then she sagged, her body relaxing in shock at the sight of all of them standing in the doorway quietly watching her. She had no idea how they had made it past the safety gate at the bottom of the stairs again, she _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that she had put it in place as Mel and Jas couldn’t change shape how Dom and Kat could to make it up as easily. But, instead of dwelling on the how or who, Waverly held her arms open so they could get the comfort they all needed from each other.

**********

Through the morning, the girls became Waverly’s loving shadows as she cleaned every available surface to within an inch of its life. While it felt wrong to rely on them, they proved to be a loving distraction as Waverly sought to ease their worries as well as her own.

It was exhausting though.

Their routine was flexible with no set times laid out for naps or anything like that. But it was a routine that they usually stuck to. That day was different for so many reasons though and the girls were all stubbornly clinging to wakefulness even though they looked ready to fall asleep on their feet. Not even lying down with them had helped as they had seemed determined to watch over her as protectively as Nicole did and hadn’t closed their eyes or allowed their bodies to relax even for a moment.

The sudden whoop of a siren had Waverly’s feet leaving the floor, a fissure of shock running up her spine that had the hair standing up on the nape of her neck before her feet touched down again. With her heart damn near beating out of her chest beneath the hands she clasped over it, she rushed to the door and flung it open, a frantic “oh god, oh god, oh god,” racing over her lips in fear as to what would be waiting for her the other side.

“Earp! Don’t be a jerk!”

“What? No need to get your panties in a bunch, Redhaught! I just wanted to announce our arrival!”

Rolling her eyes, Nicole gave the other woman’s shoulder one more swat for good measure as Wynonna’s eyes and fingers twitched back towards the control for the siren before she took the key out of the ignition and climbed out of the vehicle.

“Hey, baby!”

Waverly’s frantic heartbeat slowed at the sight of Nicole and then kicked a little in a pleased thud that echoed through her body and pooled at heat as Nicole’s face lit up with a soft smile that popped her dimples as her eyes touched upon her. Her strides were long and fast, her arms safe and secure as they swept her up into a hug that had Waverly’s feet dangling as she gazed down into that beaming smile.

“Guys, you scared the… you-know-what, out of me!” she quickly moderated the language of her admonishment at the sound of the girl’s feet hitting the floor.

“That was Wynonna’s fault,” Nicole explained needlessly. “I wanted to surprise you… _gently_ … for lunch but dumbass here wanted to play with everything.”

“Sue me, those things are fun when they’re not chasing you.”

Rolling her eyes, Waverly cupped Nicole’s face within her hands and melted into the softness of her lips as she reluctantly lowered her feet back down to the ground.

“Oh. My. God!”

“What?”

“Seriously? Your foot popped!” Putting on a coquettish expression, Wynonna kicked up a booted foot to mimic the way Waverly’s had popped up during their kiss. “It’s like watching a lesbian rom-com.”

Nicole swiftly kissed Waverly again. Mostly because she wanted to but also because lesbian rom-coms and decent lesbian representation in mainstream media as a whole had become a major sore point with her after a fruitless search of all the streaming services she could think of had come up woefully short.

Luckily, for Wynonna, the kids rushing out saved her from a lecture. Dropping to her knees on the ground, Nicole opened her arms for the onslaught and caught their bodies against hers.

Wynonna ruffled Waverly’s hair fondly as they watched Nicole go down under a wave of baby hugs, their giggles ringing out purely into the late summer air. “Come on, baby girl. Help me get all this food out.”

“I hope you haven’t eaten already? I mean, if you have it can keep.”

“You got here just in time,” Waverly smiled gently down into Nicole’s soft eyes as she helped Wynonna unload what seemed to be something from every takeout place in Purgatory, including a stylish bag emblazoned with the logo of Kiersten’s place that she just knew would be something special for the girls.

They had been more than in time with the food as she had been floundering trying to find anything to temp their usually voracious girls. She had been putting their lack of hunger down to them being overtired but they looked anything but right then now that they had Nicole within reach again. Which she could relate to as she was feeling a burst of energy that had been lacking since Nicole had left too.

“Not that I don’t always love to see you, sis… but, why are you here?” Waverly asked as she put the food down on the kitchen table and shooed Wynonna out of the way as she went in blatant search for whiskey.

“Gee, so sweet.”

“Hey, I did say I always love to see you—”

“Apart from when we’re making out,” Nicole added with a smirk as she passed by with her arms full of kids.

“Gross! And, I’m here because, thanks to Nicole, Black Badge is sparkling like a unicorn’s fart.”

“’Nonna!” Seeing the girls perk up at her sister’s language and raucous chortle, Waverly cuffed her around the back of the head once their heads were turned and they couldn’t witness the ‘abuse’. “Stop trying to teach our babies curse words.”

“She glitter bombed us, Waves.”

“I sent a text! How was I to know that Jeremy was messing around with some weird super-glitter experiment? I mean… if I had known… I would have waited until you were in there with him to send the text.”

“Nobody likes a smartass, Haught.”

“That’s not what your sister said last night.”

“Children!” Waverly rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. Usually, it would have been frustration and exasperation but… well, given what Nicole had lost, a little Alpha posturing and banter between them was a welcome, if exasperating, sight.

“Sorry—”

“—Not sorry. Glitter, Waves! A blinding office full of glitter!”

“Blinding? Were you trying to hide a cuss word then, ‘Nonna? Aww, that’s sweet!”

“No,” she tsked, swotting at Waverly’s fingers as they pinched her cheek, “I mean, _literally_ blinding. God knows what Jeremy was thinking of but that shi-tuff got brighter and brighter. We left Jeremy and Rosita to fight over the decontamination shower, and Xavier with his hazmat suit, welders mask and dust buster to tackle it. Doc is banned from the office as the risk to the fuzz on his lip is too great.”

“Oh, my god!” Waverly gasped out between ragged breaths. Her shoulders shook as she swiped at her eyes, trying to clear a path through the tears of laughter racing down her cheeks from the picture Wynonna had painted in her head.

“Don’t let Xavier catch you laughing like that,” Wynonna snorted out a giggle of her own. “His sense of humour is a bit lacking right now thanks to the newly bedazzled office.”

“Wait… You were just joking… Right?”

“Nope!” Holding up her phone, Wynonna pressed play on the video she had taken of Xavier resplendent in his hazmat suit opening the door and stepping through into the bright, rainbow-hued glow pulsing from within. “Unicorn’s farts,” she whispered conspiratively.

Grabbing up a container of Chinese, pausing only long enough to make sure that it was one Nicole had picked for herself, Wynonna started to dig in as they all made their way outside. Nicole had told her her ‘plan’ on the way there. At first, Wynonna had just thought that her Alpha friend was overthinking things but from where she was trailing behind them, she could see sure enough just how Dom was reacting to being outside… how she buried her face against Nicole’s neck and huffed in huge lungful’s of her Mama’s scent. Wynonna also saw how Waverly clung to Nicole. Which, if anyone asked, was a barf-inducing sight most of the time but was actually heart-warmingly adorable. There was a quiet desperation to her actions though, a flickering shadow of nervousness that lingered around her eyes that very slowly lifted each time Nicole reached for Waverly. Then, just like Dom, Waverly breathed her in and basked in the slightest attention.

They settled on a huge picnic blanket, a quintessential checkerboard print one because… Waverly!

While they hadn’t exactly had a normal childhood; but then, who was to say what normal was, Waverly had always loved the little hallmark things that screamed ‘normal’. Which, Wynonna felt was both endearing and ridiculous given that Waverly’s quintessential picnic blanket was currently being rolled on and almost destroyed by a play battle between Kat and Bernie until Waverly gently broke them up and got their butts settled.

As moments went, Wynonna felt it was perfectly them.

“We should do this more often,” she sighed happily, grabbing up a slice of pizza from one box and a glazed doughnut from another. Looking at them both, she gave a little shrug and bit into the pizza first. “Well, you know, when we’re not pits deep in snow like we are most of the year,” she mumbled around a resilient strand of cheese that refused to break from the rest of the slice.

The paddock was to their backs, the soft noises of the horses as they grazed lazily in the sun a gentle, comforting murmur she had never thought she would get used to, let alone like with her fear of all things equine… well, apart from riding cowgirl but that was a whole other thing. Before them lay the gentle, sprawling expanse of lush, green that led down to the stream and the woods beyond. Through the tall, swaying stalks of grass, she could see the paths worn into the land from all their runs, their favoured routes standing out clearly not so much as scars but laughter lines.

Feeling a little too maudlin and, god help her, emo given the food and company, Wynonna polished off the doughnut and sprawled back on the blanket to soak up some rays as well as the sounds of the kids playing.

Waverly shifted closer to Nicole, her body seeking out her warmth and comfort. Lips grazed her forehead, their shoulders nudging comfortably together as their bodies slid and locked into their usual grooves. The ‘something’ still coiled tight with Waverly released with each motion; every familiar and reassuring gesture from Nicole. As though watching in slow-motion Ultra-HD, she watched as Nicole’s hand came to rest upon her thigh, her long fingers creasing up the fabric covering them as she gave a reassuring squeeze of the long muscle beneath her palm. Her own fingers brushed against the back of Nicole’s hand, tracing the faint outlines of veins beneath the surface as her hand lifted to return to caring for Dom who was sitting between her legs.

It was a brief contact between them, one of many simple, reassuring touches. Until it became more as Nicole’s fingers shifted and entwined with hers and carried it back to her own thigh so they were both caring for Dom at the same moment.

Smiling softly, Waverly leaned her head against Nicole’s shoulder and basked in the love of family around her.

“So, what are you plotting for later?” Tilting her head, Waverly brushed her cheek back and forth against Nicole’s shoulder, not so subtly scent marking her.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Nicole chuckled as Waverly’s nose crinkled with the denial and the soft boop she laid on the tip with a finger.

“Are you two getting all kinky again?” Wynonna drawled out sleepily.

“With you snoring away back there?” Nicole shot over her shoulder.

“Never underestimate an Earp when it comes to getting their kink on.”

“Like I don’t already know that? Ow!” Pouting softly, Nicole rubbed at her shoulder where Waverly had sank her teeth sharply into her flesh in reprimand. “Waves… later with the biting, baby.”

“So gross!” Turning her back on them, Wynonna curled up with Mel and Kat as they cuddled into the curve of her body.

**********

“Are you staying for the rest of the day?” Waverly asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not.” Smiling regretfully, Nicole gently made room for Jasmin as she crawled over her leg and onto Dom. They were so exhausted that Dom didn’t even make a murmur of protest at the rough treatment and Nicole was pretty sure that Jas was asleep the whole time. “I’m not going to be late though,” she quickly assured her love. “Wynonna’s going to keep you all company until I get home. She insisted,” she whispered, nuzzling her nose softly beneath Waverly’s ear.

“Too. Much. Glitter,” Wynonna breathed out between snores.

“I’ll still miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you just as much, baby.” Sliding her fingers along Waverly’s jaw, Nicole gently guided her face around until their lips brushed and came together. Their breaths released on soft sighs that filled the other. Longing crashed into Nicole like a wave that burst up her spine and threatened to pull her under. It was the presence of the girls more than the snoring Wynonna that kept their desire in check but that didn’t stop Waverly’s fingers from finding their home in her hair and clothing to pull her deeper into their kiss as best as she could without disturbing the girls.

Her eyes were wild as they eased back, dark and stormy, blown wide by desire with just a ring of hazel showing around them. Nicole drowned in the darkness of them, chasing the glimmer of moonlight caught within them. Their breathing slowed gradually between soft, deeply eager kisses that had them both aching for the promise of more later… when they were alone.

**********

“You two really are gross,” Wynonna mumbled from beneath the arm she’d thrown over her face to protect her poor senses from further abuse when it had become obvious that loud and pointed snores weren’t going to be enough to break them apart. Cracking open her eyes she reached out a hand and rubbed Waverly’s slender back as she gazed longingly towards the road, her ears quite obviously straining to catch every last sound of Nicole’s vehicle as it headed back towards Purgatory. “Hey, she’ll be home soon. And until then… Earp sister time?”

“That-that sounds good to me,” Waverly smiled wanly.

Releasing a deep breath, she looked down and her sister and made the determined decision to trust that everything would be okay and just enjoy that moment with Wynonna. She lay down on the blanket at Wynonna’s side, tenderly arranging Jas and Dom in her arms as she propped her head on Wynonna’s shoulder. “Seriously, how are you still wearing that jacket?” she huffed at the feel of the thick leather almost burning hot beneath her.

“Hey, No judging, Ms. bonus blanket. I bet you’re still using one at night even in this heat.”

“Well, she’s warm and snuggly.”

“Gross!” Ruffling Waverly’s hair, much to her chagrin, Wynonna settled back on the blanket. Peace settled around them, lulling her towards sleep with the soft warble of birdsong and the beat of their wings, and the hush of a warm, light breeze stirring through the long grass and leaves upon the trees. “Hey, Waves?”

“Mhm?”

“Not sure if I’ve said this before but… I’m glad you found Nicole that first night.”

“Me too,” Waverly grinned.

“I still don’t regret stealing her kill though,” Wynonna smirked. Knowing Nicole how she did now, she could appreciate the memory of the look on her face that night even more. And maybe it had been a little bit cruel of her but, damn it, she had been trespassing on their land and stealing her sister’s heart at the same time!

“Jerk,” she laughed.

“Ya love me though?”

“Yeah… I kind of do,” Waverly smiled warmly as her eyes drifted shut, the peace of the moment and the company pulling her gently under.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reposting this chapter (posted 7th April) as AO3 didn't seem to be showing the story as updated and I wasn't sure if that was just how I was seeing it or if it was the whole site.

Narrowing her eyes, Waverly huffed in soft exasperation at her sister to let her know just how… well, just how _exasperated_ she was at all the delays but Wynonna being Wynonna, just ignored her huff and smirked unrepentantly as she finally slipped into the passenger seat of her Jeep.

Rather than reach to start the engine, Waverly tapped a nail across the top of the steering wheel in a way she hoped Wynonna would find just a little bit intimidating. “You know what Nicole’s got planned, don’t you?”

“No idea what you’re talking about, baby girl,” Wynonna purred, carefully hiding a smirk at Waverly’s not at all subtle attempts to prise information out of her. “I just needed to stock up on some of Uncle Curtis’ delicious tomato soup for later,” she gestured to the back of the jeep that was now piled with a ridiculous amount of soup and tomato-based preserves that would have the already fully cupboards at the Homestead bursting. As long as Doc and Xavier never lost their fondness for Uncle Curtis’ tomatoes, all would be good. Feeling a tug on the hand she had gestured with, Wynonna reached back a little more and tickled Jasmin’s soft tummy, pulling a giggle from her niece.

“And it couldn’t wait until tomorrow, huh?”

“Nope,” popping the P with relish, not a tomato-based one, Wynonna turned back to the front, evading Waverly’s narrow-eyed look as she did so. “Right then, chauffeur, on to the Homestead!”

“What?!” Spluttering, Waverly gave serious thought to kicking Wynonna out of her Jeep and leaving her chewing on dirt as she sped back home.

“Hey, you offered to drive, sis. Seeing as Nicole just dumped me there without a vehicle ‘n all… you don’t want Doc and Xavier to starve or have to eat my mac n cheese special do you? So…” she made a hurry along gesture that had Waverly’s teeth damn near shooting off sparks, she ground them together so hard.

“You _said_ you just wanted to pick up a couple of things from town,” Waverly growled darkly in exasperation.

“Which we did,” Wynonna grinned. “And we’re still in town.” And they were… in the loosest terms possible. “Don’t worry, you’ll be home in time—”

“In time for what?” Waverly swung round in her seat as much as she could within the restraint of the seatbelt. “I know you know!”

“And I know you’ve been texting Haughtpants every couple of minutes since we left the house so don’t think for one minute you’re going to get anything out of me if you couldn’t out of her… not that I know anything!” she blustered at the dangerous, knowing look on Waverly’s face. “Trust me, baby girl. You’re going to love it… whatever this unknown ‘it’ might be.”

“Fine,” Waverly griped good-naturedly. “I should have just let you take the Jeep.”

“You? Let me borrow your precious Jeep?” Wynonna fixed Waverly with a mock shocked stare and let one brow climb challengingly. She could count on one hand the number of times that Waverly had let her drive her Jeep and still have fingers to spare.

“So, Homestead then?”

“Mmmhmm.” Hiding a smirk, Wynonna gave Aunt Gus a cheeky thumbs up while Waverly was focussed on reversing her Jeep out of the tight spot next to their barn without taking out one of Uncle Curtis’ many piles of gardening supplies that were lying around in seemingly random places like a horticultural slalom.

Seriously, it was fun, dangerous but fun, messing with her baby sister. She was a force to be reckoned with, doubly so when she was on the hunt. But she knew that all the threatening glowers would cease and be forgotten as soon as she saw what Nicole had planned for her, for all of them.

Typically of Nicole when it came to anything to do with Waverly, her plans were so adorably sweet it made every sweeping romantic gesture in the history of sweeping romantic gestures look bleak. And Wynonna’s part of the plan was simply to keep her sister busy and away from the house. But that was getting increasingly difficult as all Waverly wanted was to be close to home for when Nicole got off duty.

Fortunately, and much to Wynonna’s amusement, the girls fussed and kicked up an adorable pint-sized storm every single time that Waverly’s foot got even the slightest bit too heavy on the accelerator. If she could have, Wynonna would have given them all high-fives for the assist.

Waverly pursed her lips and lifted her foot off the gas as Kat let out a disgruntled noise of protest as the speed inched over the limit. At her side, Wynonna nearly choked trying to hold back her laughter at their antics.

“Traitors,” Waverly smiled fondly as she continued the far too slow journey down the winding roads that led to the Homestead.

**********

Dusk was painting the sky; the last blaze of glory from the setting sun glinting off the pretty blue of their house creating a halo and lending an almost dream-like quality to it that was echoed by the feeling of peace and belonging that welled up in Waverly’s heart and left her body as a soft sigh as her home started to come into view.

Out of the corner of her eye, Waverly could see the smile of barely repressed anticipation on Wynonna’s face and the intent glances she was casting in her direction as though she was desperate not to miss her reaction to whatever Nicole had planned. As Wynonna had steadfastly, and annoyingly, refused to cave in to her probing about that, Waverly chose to ignore her even though Wynonna was damn near bouncing out of the Jeep.

As she swung the vehicle off the road and pulled to a halt on the drive, Waverly realised that not all of the lights she had seen from the road came from the glory of the setting sun when she saw the trail of coloured light strung around the outside of the house. Pinned in place and twining around bushes and trees along with twists of bright bunting and colourful balloons, they created an enticing lure that led around the house in the direction of the paddock.

Waverly wanted to run and follow the path to see what Nicole had done for them but somehow, she managed to restrain herself and, with Wynonna’s help, got the girls out of the Jeep so they could make the discovery together.

Showing amazing restraint of their own, the girls walked with them instead of rushing ahead. Their eyes were wide with wonder as they gazed up at the lights and followed the soft lulling tones of Nicole’s voice to where she stood with their horses. And watching them, seeing their obvious delight just at that part of it, had tears welling up in Waverly’s eyes for the care Nicole had taken to try to wipe the memories of the horror locked within Dom’s mind… in all their minds and replace them with good ones instead.

And there were many good ones to be had amongst the veritable field of balloons, bunting and lights that danced around.

“There’s my beautiful girls!”

Waverly’s heart swelled more than ever at the sight of her love but before she gave in to the urge to launch herself into her arms, she stroked her fingers over Kat’s baby-fine hair, releasing her from the spell she was under and setting her loose along with the others. The very air seemed to dance around them with their delighted squeals as they raced towards Nicole, their every step sending up clouds of balloons and sending more bouncing across the grass.

Her tall frame bending gracefully, Nicole knelt, her arms open wide to accept their children into the shelter of her body. Her laughter rang out melodiously as they chatted away in a rushing babble of tiny voices.

Nicole brushed soft kisses across their heads and breathed in the soft, baby scent of their bodies.

“Go on with your Aunty ‘Nonna for a min, ‘kay? Mama and I will be with right with you,” she quietly assured Dom whose brow creased in a frown while her mouth dropped into a stubborn pout.

“Come on, munchkin,” Wynonna held out her hand and swung Dom up into her arms. “Don’t you two be getting all… _ya know_ … out here or I will send the ankle biters out to break all that lovey-dovey _stuff_ up.”

Rolling her eyes, Nicole shook her head fondly as Wynonna walked away chortling to herself. Her eyes remained fixed upon Waverly though; watching as she pretended to look around at all the decorations until her sister was out of sight even though her eyes were just as focussed on her. As soon as the barn door shut behind Wynonna and the girls, the bashful pretence was dropped and a sensual smile curved Waverly’s face that had Nicole’s body surging with heat that pooled low within her abdomen.

The air around them felt thick and charged with anticipation and promise as Nicole dipped her head and met the upwards surge and press of Waverly’s body against her own. Curling her fingers into the fabric of Waverly’s top at the small of her back, Nicole pulled her closer as their lips came together in a slow and sensual exploration.

“Wow,” Waverly panted out against Nicole’s lips as they parted just enough to draw in a necessary breath. The smug curve of her kiss-swollen lips had Waverly sinking her teeth into them, drawing a whimpered, panted moan from deep within Nicole as she pulled and sucked on the trapped morsel of flesh until they were forced to part by Wynonna shouting at them from the barn.

Leaning back in the circle of Nicole’s arms, Waverly cocked a questioning brow at her as Wynonna was abruptly cut off mid-shout. Rather than question what was happening, she looked around, smiling at the pretty lights dancing off the balloons as they bounced around. Reaching out she snagged one by its string and lightly booped Nicole on the nose with it.

“This all looks amazing, Nicole,” she waved a hand around at everything. “It’s the most relaxed Dom has been out here all day.”

“Oh, this is just the start of it, baby,” Nicole smiled softly.

“It is?”

“Mmmhmm.” Letting out a low whistle, Nicole called Macha and Akna over to them and watched as Waverly’s face brightened even more and her eyes widened as they stepped calmly through the curtain of balloons looking more like runway models than ever with the bright ribbons braided through their manes and tails and the last rays of the sun glinting off their shining coats.

“What—” holding out a hand, Waverly smiled in soft wonderment as Akna nuzzled the palm of her hand with her velvet soft lips. “Well, don’t you both look gorgeous?” She laughed as Akna responded to her praise by tossing back her mane and prancing on the spot.

“Yep, they shine up good even after all that dirt they keep rolling in,” Nicole chuckled as Akna continued to pose for Waverly.

While they looked amazing, Waverly was at a loss as to why Macha and Akna were how they were but before Waverly could do more than open her mouth to ask, the doors to the barn swung open dramatically and she was answered by the appearance of two dapple-grey ponies pulling a brightly decorated, open carriage driven by a wildly grinning Raven who was all decked out in her finest Yiska outfit.

Ethereal lights danced from the back of the carriage from Aden’s hands and danced above the enchanted faces of all their girls as well as Alice and Michelle, and Cole and Madi. As the carriage moved towards them, riders appeared from behind the barn; Alexandria and Doc leading the way dressed in their finest.

As they watched, the lights from Aden’s hands danced outwards in a gently snaking path towards the trees where they met with a line stretching outwards and deeper into the darkness of the forest under the elegant control of the young wood nymph’s mother who was waiting for them with a smile as bright and welcoming as the glow lighting her body.

Nicole rubbed at the back of her neck nervously. “I hope you and the girls like it… it’s just a ride up to the village but I just figured it could help take their and your mind off of… _everything_ ,” she finished quietly, a wry grimace twisting her lips.

“Nicole! Oh my god! It’s perfect!” Waverly clapped her hands together in delight and pulled Nicole back into her arms and crashed their mouths together in a hungry, loving kiss. It was just so Nicole that with everything she was going through, the last thing on her mind was herself.

“Okay, break it up! The day is a wasting! Seriously… I _will_ get the hosepipe.” Wynonna chuckled as Waverly released Nicole’s lips only long enough to shoot her a glower and a definitely raised middle finger before reclaiming Nicole’s mouth in an attempt to kiss her senseless… or suck her face off… Wynonna wasn’t quite sure what Waverly’s goal was other than she would forever be too young to witness it.

Nicole chuckled against the pillow of Waverly’s lips as Wynonna finally huffed and walked away. “You ready, baby?”

“For you, always.”

“So bad,” Nicole purred silkily. She felt Waverly tremble under her hands at the tone of her voice as she turned her around and gave her a gentle push towards Akna, and watched as she swung herself nimbly up into the saddle. Plucking her Stetson off a fencepost, Nicole dusted it off on her thigh and settled it on her head and swung herself up onto Macha. Macha shifted under her eagerly but stayed as strong and steady as always as Nicole turned her in a tight circle to face Wynonna who was eying them warily.

“You sure you don’t want to take a ride in the carriage and help with the kids, Earp?”

“That will be a hell no from me. Too many horses for my liking. Xavier is picking me up in a minute and we’ll meet you up there.” Despite her ingrained distrust of the beasts, Wynonna leaned into the carriage and planted kisses on her girl’s downy-soft, chubby cheeks. “You two be good. And the same goes for you, Doc!”

“Always, darlin’.”

Wynonna sighed longingly as Doc flashed her a roguish smirk and a wink as he tipped his hat at her. It was seriously unfair that he actually looked even hotter than usual while seated on something that still scared her. She was getting better around them but it was difficult with so many in one place even with the distraction of a handsome cowboy to look at.

Nicole’s presence at her side as they made their way down the path of lights towards the forest was both comforting and thrilling as their legs brushed together with the motion of their horses. She could feel the charge in the air between them and ached for the chance to explore it more when they were alone.

Before then though, she settled for lingering looks and touches as they kept an eye on the children and made sure they didn’t fall or jump out of the carriage in their eagerness to take everything in.

As they reached the edge of the forest and, under Clarke’s will, the trees themselves parted like a veil to make way for them, Waverly’s heart ached for her Alpha as Nicole lifted her head to scent the air for danger as usual. A frown creased her brow and her shoulders slumped dejectedly, but she pulled herself together, hiding her emotions behind a mask that failed miserably when it came to her expressive eyes.

Reaching out, Waverly gave her knee a tender squeeze. She didn’t ask if Nicole was okay, they both knew she would only be lying if she said yes. Nicole wasn’t even close to being okay… but they _would_ be no matter what. That was what Waverly hoped Nicole knew from that one touch and she thought maybe it had worked as Nicole’s hand enveloped hers with its familiar warm and strong; her fingers tender and agile as they stroked along hers in a way that had Waverly shifting in her saddle to assuage the pressure.

“You okay, baby?” Nicole teased huskily.

Waverly dug her blunt nails a little deeper into muscle as Nicole’s turned to look at her with a far too knowing glance from beneath the brim of her hat. Her lips curved into a lopsided smirk that brought out a dimple and Waverly honest to god considered just tackling Nicole to the ground and ravishing her right there and then.

Nicole’s head dipped, the brim of her Stetson shading her eyes almost demurely but the soft bite of white teeth into a plump, pink lip was not helping Waverly control herself at all… but it left her wondering if Nicole was picking up on her thoughts or if they were just projected so strongly on her face.

Before she could ask, Dom chose that moment to stand up in the carriage and demand Nicole’s attention.

“Mama!”

Nicole lifted Waverly’s hand from her leg, instantly missing the warmth of it against her even as she relished the feel of it beneath her lips as she brushed a kiss across the back of her knuckles and gave her a roguish wink.

“Duty calls. Ma’am.” Tilting the brim of her hat, Nicole clicked her tongue and guided Macha around the carriage to be closer to Dom. “What’s up, sweetie?”

“Wanna ride with you, Mama.” Chewing on her lip, Dom remembered her manners and brought out the big guns. “Please?” She lifted her arms hopefully, her body wiggling at her Mama’s light chuckle and loving gaze and the feel of her hands hoisting her aloft.

Waverly smiled at the look of utter bliss on Dom’s face as she was settled securely on the saddle in front of Nicole and was given the end of Macha’s reins to play with. With Nicole’s guidance, Dom gave them a little shake and Waverly saw Nicole give a subtle squeeze with her thighs that had Macha moving into a slightly faster walk to Dom’s delight.

They took it in turn, letting the kids right with them, the bravest being lifted high so their reaching fingers could brush against the lights dancing above their heads, their up tilted faces shining with joy and the colours of the rainbow.

As they meandered deeper into the forest, Waverly gave up on trying to keep track of where they were. There were no discernable sounds or shifting of a branch or leaf, but the trees cleared a path for them. Even the ground evened out so that not even a root or pebble was out of place to rock the gentle ride of the carriage bearing their precious cargo as apparently, Clarke was bending time and space, or at least defying all laws of nature, to get them from their home to the village while passing through points of the forest they shouldn’t have been able to see. And she was having a lot of fun doing it too going by her playful laughter as she flitted through the trees, her body glowing as she danced into view to the delight of the children and Alexandria.

“It reminds me of when we first met,” Alexandria confided quietly, a soft smile upon her face as Clarke alighted on the back of the carriage to ruffle Aden’s already permanently messy hair.

“Hmm, back then though I believe you said I was annoying,” Clarke called down from a branch arched over the path she had created.

“You were beautiful and delightful… and a little bit annoying,” she fake whispered loudly. “But… that was only because I was an unreasonable grouch.”

“Every bit the bear whose form you take,” Clarke whispered against the shell of her ear as she dropped gently onto the back of her loves stallion and wrapped her arms around her trim waist.

“Has- has Nicole told you—” Waverly bit her lip nervously as she cast her eyes over to where Nicole was busy being entertained by the children all vying for her attention and Doc’s startled yelp as Dom made a successful lunge for his moustache. She felt the gentle stirring or air and the press of Clarke’s hand upon her shoulder as she settled onto the back of Akna as Alexandria drew in closer to her.

“She has,” Clarke gently assured her. “It is troubling that they were able to do something so terrible. We have never heard of anything like this before.”

“Together we will work it out,” Alexandria assured her with quiet conviction as she looked at the woman she considered a sister. “We have already put a quiet word out to our most trusted clans to see if anyone has had any dealings with the angels before. Nicole is strong though, with or without her ability to change.”

“Yes, she is,” Waverly smiled lovingly.

“And if she falters or doubts what we know to be true… we will just have to remind her.”

Waverly’s eyebrows climbed as Alexandria used the same tone of anticipation she reserved for when she was about to ‘train’ Nicole.

“Hey, we only just got done fighting a snake god… at least give Nicole a couple of days before you start tossing her around.”

“Fine. I will try to refrain from training with her for a couple of days.” She chuckled as Waverly’s nose crinkled adorably but as her young friend rode ahead to catch up to Nicole, her mood sobered and she leaned back into the warmth of Clarke’s body that was once more settled comfortably behind her.

“You’re worried about her… about them.”

“Yes and no,” Alexandria sighed, her jaw working as she mulled over everything Nicole had told them earlier when she had called to ask for their help in setting up the ride for the kids. “She is strong and she will get through this. Of that, I have no doubt.”

“But?” Clarke pushed, knowing Alexandria well enough to know that she needed to vent a little and get it off her chest.

“It angers and scares me, but mostly just angers me, that this was done to her. It wasn’t taking away an ability she had learned or gained by magic… her wolf is who she is, Clarke, and to take that away is above cruel.” The gentle soothing motion of Clarke’s hands rubbing across her shoulders had her releasing a shuddering breath and relaxing into her touch.

Feeling the surrender of tension, Clarke nuzzled into the curve of her neck with her nose and slid her hands around her waist once more. “As you said, we’ll work this out.” With a subtle twist of her fingers and her mind, she called a ball out light down to dance lightly upon the tip of Alexandria’s nose.

“We have faced many hardships and battles over the years and won… Look at them,” she nodded against Alexandria’s shoulder, gesturing to Nicole and Waverly who were riding side by side with their hands linked together, gazing at each other with a loving hunger, “they will win just as we always have…”

“…together,” Alexandria finished for her.

“Together,” Clarke agreed. “Now, I’d best get back to work, there are poplars and pine trees having a disagreement ahead that I need to sort out.”

“I never know if you’re joking about—” Alexandria shook her head and smiled softly as she glanced over her shoulder and found that Clarke had flitted away leaving behind the ghost of a kiss lingering upon her pulse.

**********

Nicole smiled, peace flowing through her as she basked in the warmth of family that surrounded her. Jasmin was a warm weight seated in front of her, her little hands resting upon the one she had supporting her tiny body as she relaxed into her. With Macha’s rolling gait rocking her, and Clarke’s lights dancing above them, Jasmin’s eyes started to cross and drift shut despite her best efforts to stay awake. Leaning down, Nicole brushed a kiss across the crown of her head and adjusted her weight carefully so she could be more comfortable. In the carriage, the others weren’t fairing much better in resisting the lure of sleep as they were slowly sagging against each other and curling up in puppy piles. Even Aden looked like he was moments away from joining them.

“As adorable as it would be… I hope you don’t plan on falling asleep on me like that,” Waverly husked softly.

“Later maybe. Only much, _much_ later,” Nicole smirked as Waverly gave a telling shudder under the hand Nicole skimmed up across the long muscle of her thigh as the motion of their horses brought them close enough to touch. It made Nicole ache inside that she couldn’t just open up her thoughts and let Waverly feel how much she loved and wanted her right then but she found comfort and clung to it in what she could see echoed in Waverly’s darkening eyes as they darted again and again to her lips and the way her pink tongue slid out to moisten her own in anticipation.

“Soon,” she promised huskily and bit back a chuckle at Waverly’s low growl of response.

Before Waverly could act on her feelings or find a voice to do more than growl in frustrated desire, the kids all started to stir again, their growing excitement having them bouncing in renewed vigour as the sounds of the village caught their ears.

Under Clarke’s will, the trees closed back up around their party as they emerged into the open and Nicole knew that even if she’d had all her senses, there wouldn’t be a trace of their passing for her to find. Clarke was too good to allow that and it was how the Yiska had managed to remain so secluded for so long.

Just as their home had been, the village was festooned with lights, bunting and balloons that created a colourful path that linked all the houses and drew the kids enchanted gazes. It was delightful, everything Nicole had hoped for and more. But it was to Waverly her gaze was drawn.

Handing Jasmin to Wynonna, she slipped from Macha’s back and helped Waverly to dismount for no other reason than the pleasure of feeling her body pressed against hers long after her feet touched the ground. Delicate fingers plucked her Stetson from her head, a cheeky and thoroughly seductive smile tilting Nicole’s world on its axis before her lips were claimed in a hungry kiss that left her as dazed as Waverly’s whisper in her ear…

“Just to be clear, soon can’t come quickly enough.”

Nicole wobbled on her feet, swaying drunkenly after the fingers Waverly trailed teasingly along her jaw before she turned and walked away towards the bonfire being lit, with Nicole’s pilfered Stetson perched jauntily on her head.

“So, are you actually going to move or did my sister just break you?” Wynonna nudged Nicole teasingly as she continued to just stand there with that adorably dazed expression on her face that only Waverly seemed to be able to bring out. “So whipped,” she grumbled and sidestepped her as she continued to stand there like a tall, red obstruction.

Nicole shook herself from her desire laden stupor as Lincoln waved his hand before her face and asked for the reins she was still holding. Blushing, she handed them over and stood there rubbing the back of her neck as he led them away to be reunited with the foals that had been brought up along with CJ and Bernie after Wynonna had lured Waverly out of the house.

Waverly.

Just her name had heat soaring through Nicole.

Despite their heated glances, flirting words and touches, and the myriad ways they had of teasing each other… There was a part of Nicole that was nervous if not borderline terrified about the thought of the night to come… The soon they had promised each other in word and by every action on the ride over… Their first time with the fact that her wolf was no more hanging over them.

The love and desire between them were as strong as it ever was but… What if her wolf being missing and their connection lost— what if it made it too different and she wasn’t able to satisfy Waverly?

Nicole knew in her heart that her fear was foolish, but the fear was there and hard to shake.

Following the lights and laughter, Nicole made her way towards the bonfire and, after a quick detour to collect some food from the dessert end of the long table that was almost groaning under the weight of its load, she found her way to where Waverly was sitting on the grass and the feeling of home that came from wrapping her arms around her and feeling Waverly sink back into her touch. Plucking her hat back off Waverly’s head and returning it to her own, she nuzzled into the fragrant curve of her neck and held out the plate of food.

“Mmmm, oh my god! Thank you, babe,” plucking a pecan slice off the plate, Waverly bit into the sweet, flaky pastry with an earthy moan of delight that had Nicole shifting behind her. “I’ve been craving one of these _all_ day.”

Humming in pleasure, Waverly leaned back further into the cradle of Nicole’s body and just basked in her and the warmth from the fire. The girls were busy playing with the other children of the village; Anya and Indra keeping a close eye on them while Raven busied herself setting up something that Waverly could only hope was safe… Though, knowing Raven, safe was all a matter of opinion.

On the other side of the flickering flames, the gentle stirring of music started up as it was want to at such gatherings with someone pulling out a musical instrument for their own pleasure and others joining in when they felt like it. It was peaceful and perfect. The perfect end to their magical journey through the forest. And the perfect start to the rest of their night.

Just thinking about it had Waverly’s aching in anticipation, her breathing growing shallow as her blood thickened.

She offered Nicole the sweet pastry and bit her lip to hold in the whimper at the sight of Nicole’s teeth biting into it and feel of her lips as they caressed her fingers. Waverly’s eyes flickered up from the sight as Nicole chewed on the morsel and met the heated, honeyed-brown of her gaze lit by the flames of the fire. Nicole’s fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding her hand gently captive for the caress of her tongue as she licked and sucked her fingers clean.

The move was blatantly erotic and had Waverly struggling for composure long after Nicole’s mouth left her. In fact, Waverly found that it stirred her to the point that the next several hours of waiting, while magical and full of laughter, were a torment where every touch or glance, whether lingering or not, had her aching and feeling like she was about to crawl out of her skin with need.

A need that apparently didn’t go unnoticed by those that knew them, as Clarke finally worked her way around the fire and released them from the festivities with the promise that she and Alexandria would settle the girls down at their place with Cole and Madi when they had worn themselves out enough.

“Are you—”

“Thanks, guys!”

Before Nicole could question the offer further, Waverly grabbed her hand with a soft growl and yanked her in the direction of their village home.

**********

Nicole’s breath left her lungs in a rush as Waverly pushed her firmly back into the solid wood of the door, barely giving it time to close behind them. Her hat went sailing somewhere deeper into the room, yanked out of the way buy urgent hands that pulled her into a heated kiss that was all hungry tongue and soft bites of teeth as they jockeyed for position.

A sharp bite of teeth against her collarbone had Nicole hissing out a breath. Tangling her fingers into Waverly’s hair, she pulled gently, arching her head back and exposing the long line of her throat to her warning growl and the drag of her teeth. Waverly sagged in her arms in submission, her fingers clutching at her shoulders as a soft, needy whimper spilling out of her mouth.

“Please?” Waverly wasn’t entirely sure what she was begging for. She needed so much she wasn’t sure she would have been able to vocalise just what she was asking for if Nicole had asked. But Nicole was the perfect blend of strength and loving gentleness as always and she just _knew_. Her strong hands skimmed down over her waist and hips to curve over her ass until they found the backs of her thighs and Waverly wrapped her legs around her waist as she was lifted easily.

The soft brown of Nicole’s eyes was rendered to black pools of need in the darkened room, drawing her in, drowning her in desire as Nicole walked them towards their bedroom. Each step a sensual delight as Waverly’s core rubbed against the tight muscles of Nicole’s body.

As Nicole lowered her towards the mattress, Waverly clung on tight, pulling Nicole down with her in her reluctance to let her go even for a moment. A soft growl vibrating against throat had her writhing beneath Nicole, her fingers clawing at her top, rending the fabric into scraps as Nicole’s teeth sank perfectly into her mark and her tongue lathed delicately at her trapped flesh.

“God, you taste good,” Nicole purred appreciatively against her, her mouth returning again and again to the sweet taste of her. Her back writhed under the frantic press of Waverly’s fingers as they raked down her spine and dug into her hips and ass, sending her hips grinding into the cradle of Waverly’s thighs. Lifting her head, she tried to work on the tiny buttons of Waverly’s top but Waverly was moving too much and her own fingers weren’t moving fast enough for her liking.

“Waves—” she gazed into hazel eyes beseechingly.

“Do it,” Waverly panted out, her fingers painting trails down Nicole’s flesh in her desperation to feel their bodies pressed together. Strong fingers tightened into the fabric and as it gave and ripped asunder with a wet sound, Waverly arched and writhed as she felt the echo of it through her body.

Waverly didn’t know how the rest of their clothing was lost along the way, she just knew the utter bliss as their naked bodies were finally pressed tightly together and the thick groan Nicole purred between her breasts before lavishing her attention on everything she could get her mouth and hands upon.

“Look at me, Waves. Look at your Alpha.”

Waverly blinked up, trying to focus on the woman she loved. Her body felt heavy with desire, her pulse sounding heavy in her ears as it thrummed through her body. Her breath caught as she felt Nicole’s long fingers sliding between her parted thighs and teasing between desire-swollen folds. Arching into the touch, she spread her legs further and lifted her hips eagerly.

“Please?”

The teasing slide of fingers circling her clit left Waverly gasping. The sure strength as they stretched and filled her perfectly over and over had her crying out, her body arching in bliss as the coiling, throbbing ache built to a crescendo that burst outwards in a rushing wave that threatened to overwhelm her.

Waverly drifted back into herself, her body twitching and clenching upon the fingers still gently moving within her. The beat of Nicole’s pulse was languid against her tongue as Waverly swallowed heavily, drinking down the sweet taste and scent of vanilla dipped doughnuts and lavender from her Alpha that threatened to overflow and spill from her mouth.


	21. Chapter 21

At the sound of the door opening to admit the hum of traffic and the lone caw of a crow, J.D. looked up from the notepad he had been doodling in while manning the front desk and waited to see who might be coming in to break up the monotony. Was it just someone passing on through to get to one of the other offices in the municipality building? Or maybe someone heading to Black Badge… or to clean up the last of the glitter from their offices? Or maybe it was someone for them with a crime to report?

Not that he wanted there to be a crime but his shift had been pretty quiet so far and having something to sink his teeth into would be welcome.

A virulent grumble of voices and shuffling of feet was his only warning before a man and a scantily clad woman with hands cuffed were frogmarched into view with Davidson and the Sheriff right behind them. J.D.’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Nicole’s face but a quick shake of the head from Davidson and a healthy sense of self-preservation had him wisely biting down his tongue to still any questions about the dried blood there.

“Davidson, you okay booking these two clowns in while I head on up to see the Mayor?”

“I’ll help!” J.D. quickly volunteered his services, eager to get out from behind the desk and even more eager to get the word from Davidson on just what had happened. “We’ve got this boss,” he tacked on, trying for a tone that was a little more subdued and subtle at the look she shot his way.

“Hmm,” J.D.’s attempt at an innocent look was pitiful but Nicole had no desire to deal with the two idiots waiting to be booked in so she let it slide. “Fine. Well, you know where I’ll be if anything comes up?” Turning on her heel, Nicole made an attempt to straighten her shirt and adjust her tie to hide the splashes of blood dotted across the front of it and made a mental note to change it out for a clean one before she went home as she made her way towards the stairs so she could get the meeting over with.

“What the hell happened to her face?”

Nicole’s shoulders came up around her ears as J.D.’s excited questioning reached her before she was even halfway up the stairs. Damn it, she’d hoped that somehow it wasn’t _that_ noticeable but if J.D. had seen it then there was no way in hell Waverly wouldn’t sniff it out before she got into the house.

Maybe she could work a double or triple shift and wait it out?

Reaching the top floor, Nicole couldn’t help but grimace at the style of it. Since he had taken over as Mayor, Nedley had stripped out a lot of the overly rich and fancy furnishings that had been there before, but, right down to the thick pile carpet that threatened to swallow her feet whole, the whole floor still reeked of ill-gotten wealth compared to the rest of the cobbled-together, barely-getting-by feel of all the other offices.

At least the paintings that not very subtly echoed the ones that had hung in the Orders underground cult lair were gone… the first things to be stripped out and burned by Nedley when he had taken over the office of Mayor.

Finding his assistants desk empty, Nicole carried on until she stood outside the ornately carved, mahogany double doors of the Mayor’s office. Nicole adjusted her tie one more time and knocked on it nervously just below the brass nameplate that looked like it had been polished to within an inch of its life.

She wasn’t scared or even the least bit nervous!

A meeting between Sheriff and Mayor had become a weekly thing. A way for them to touch base and make sure everything was going okay officially and as a family. And, she felt, a way for him to still keep a guiding hand on the reins of the Sheriff’s office so she didn’t mess up the position that had been his for almost twenty years.

But… they had already had that meeting just the day before.

This was different. This was the kind of meeting that only took place when there was something seriously wrong. And as there were, as far as she knew, no bad guys looming on the horizon, she had the feeling the problem was to do with herself.

**********

Reaching out across the width of his desk, Randy huffed, his brow creasing into deep furrows as he picked up the solid weight of the wood and brass nameplate and moved it from the centre and off to the side. Damn thing! No matter where he put it, it just looked huge and out of place even on a desk so big he could have it felted and play pool on it.

Nudging on the edge of the nameplate, he shoved it inch by persistent inch towards the edge until the gaudy status symbol toppled off the edge and fell into the waste bin below… Just as a soft, almost timid knock on the door rang out and had him snatching his hands back from across the desk to fold guiltily on his lap.

“Come in!”

Nedley huffed out a soft sigh of relief when it was Nicole’s face that popped around the edge of the door and not Judge Andras of that damn Loblaw woman or, god forbid, his assistant… the person responsible for the gaudy nameplate now jutting up accusingly from the bin. His pleasure at seeing her turned into a frown as he took her in fully.

“What in the hell happened to you, Nicole?”

“Huh? Oh,” Nicole grimaced and winced softly as she saw the direction of his frowning gaze as she sat down in the chair across from his desk. “There was a situation at Pussy Willows. Some of the patrons getting a little too familiar with the girls. It was mostly broken up once we arrived apart from one dude who was apparently put out by his ex making money _that way_ and she was using the point of her heel to… well, make her point.”

“And you decided to break them up with your face?”

“Is it that bad?” Nicole brushed her fingers across her lip and winced as they came into contact with the tender, swollen and very split, skin. “The guy took a swing for his ex to try and get her to stop stabbing his nuts with her stilettos.”

“Nicole,” he gasped in horror. “Language!”

“Sorry, sir!” she apologised as he baulked and went a little green. “Anyway, she ducked his swing and I didn’t see it coming in time.” She frowned darkly. There was no way either of them should have been able to lay a hand on her. Wolf gone or not, she should have been good enough to see his wild haymaker coming a mile off.

Moving around the edge of his desk, Nedley dampened a napkin in the fresh jug of water his assistant filled whether he wanted it or not. Gently cupping her jaw he lifted her downcast head and even more gently dabbed around the edge of the cut on her lip, cleaning up the dried blood and soothing her skin with the cool water just how he had when Chrissy had fallen off her bike when she was younger.

Touch starved most of her life, she accepted the small comfort of his touch without protest and even seemed to lean into it without the whiney, drawn-out ‘daaaaddd’ he would have gotten from Chrissy after a couple of seconds. He found himself resisting the urge to brush her hair back from her forehead to press the fatherly kiss to it that would have been allowed to him if only he had found her sooner in life. But he hadn’t so he withdrew his touch and stepped back a pace as he assessed her face for further signs of cuts and bruises.

“There. You’ll be just fine,” he assured her softly. “Well, until Waverly sees you anyway.” He chuckled as she moaned and sank down in the chair like she was trying to hide at the prospect.

Even though it was early, he poured them both a finger of whiskey and placed one on the desk before Nicole before retaking his seat. “You look like you need it,” he nodded to the glass as she glanced up at him.

Head tilting, Nicole looked from the glass to him appraisingly, narrowing her eyes at him slightly. “If you don’t mind me saying, sir. That sounds more like you think I’m going to need it.”

Pursing his lips, Nedley took a sip of the whiskey, trying to drown out the bad taste in his mouth with the burn of the cheap liquor he still favoured even though his office was better protected against Wynonna’s raids. “I’ve had a complaint about your department,” he finally admitted.

“About?”

“Events pertaining to last night?”

“Ahh.” Huffing in frustration, Nicole sat up in the chair and steadfastly ignored the glass of whiskey. Nedley was pretty cool but she had the feeling she would need her wits about her.

“Tell me what happened?”

“I was off duty but according to the logs and reports from the officer on duty, a call came in at one-forty AM pertaining to a possible break-in in a building on a property on Ghost River. It was at that point that the call ended.” Looking across the desk she saw Nedley’s face go through a journey of understanding that ended with his lined brow creased and his lips pulled to the side beneath what she could never decide was an actual moustache or just an extra couple of days’ worth of the heavy stubble that permanently lined his cheeks.

“Ahh. And they never tried to call back?”

“No, sir,” Nicole growled in frustration. “All my officers had to go on was a possible break-in, in an outbuilding on some unnamed building on any one of seven possible streets spread across the town. They did their best and even called in officers that were off duty to help but by the time they’d covered all the streets the perps were long gone. Seriously, who in the hell decided _that_ would be a good idea?” What made it worse was that most of the locals when asked dropped the Way, Street, Road and all the other identifiers and said they lived on ‘Ghost River’.

“It goes back to when the town first started to grow. The most wealthy and well-known street; the in place to live as it were, was Ghost River Crossing. When new houses were built everyone still wanted to live in a house associated with the name and the town planners were more than happy to go along with it to make more money.”

“Dumbasses.”

“Yep,” Nedley nodded in agreement, tipping the rim of his glass towards Nicole as she picked her glass up and finally took a sip. “I’ve caught Wynonna trying to write the wrongs of the naming with cans of spray paint on more than one occasion when she was little.”

“Hell, she still tries,” Nicole chuckled. “Just the other week I found her going through all the maps in the station renaming the streets. Ghost River Road became Rocky and Ghost River Street turned into Bullwinkle. She said she was hoping it would catch on just so one day we would get a call out to the corner of Rocky and Bullwinkle.”

Randy quickly covered up his snort of amusement at Wynonna’s antics behind a cough. “In all truthfulness, it wouldn’t be the first time her tagging got turned into the norm… Notanotha Street wasn’t always called. Some poor sap in charge of making new signs mistook Wynonna’s work from real and got the wrong sign made. It got put on an official map and it just got too expensive to correct. I remember the Mayor at the time going around convincing the residents that it was actually some fancy, foreign name to appease them. To this day they think it’s some heroic General or another.”

Nicole chuckled under her breath and winced as she took another sip of whiskey. Jesus! It lit a fire in her belly that spread outwards in a way that reminded her that she hadn’t eaten much that day, but it was rough as hell!

“Who did the complaint come from?”

“Loblaw,” Randy gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Should have known,” Nicole sighed.

“You need to be careful about her, Nicole.”

“Sir?”

“Bunny Loblaw is a bully. She thrives on creating trouble and using her sharp tongue and money to get away with everything. And since…” he broke off for a moment to compose himself knowing he was stepping into painful territory for Nicole. “Nicole, she’s using what happened to you and everything that happens, no matter how small from the missing cruiser—”

“That wasn’t my fault—” she sulked at the cosmic joke that seemed to be the state of the PSD’s vehicles.

“I know. But it happened on your watch, Nicole. Just as the mix up with last night did. No matter how big or small it all comes back on you and that’s all it takes. And she will use everything she can to create waves.”

“Just-just say it, sir.”

“Like it or not. And god knows I don’t. She’s got a lot of influence in town and the ear of a lot of small minded people in power,” ones that didn’t like having a Werewolf as a Sheriff as well as others that took offence because of Nicole’s preferences when it came to relationships.

_Like that was any of their damned business!_

“She’s twisting things, trying to undermine both of us. Depending on who she talks to I either gave you the position as Sheriff because we’re related or you’re not fit to be Sheriff because you’re no longer a Werewolf. Both of which are utter bullshit!” he barked out as Nicole’s face fell into sad lines.

“You listen to me right now, Nicole! If you hadn’t been qualified so highly at the academy I would have still reached out to you as family to get to know you as such, but I hired you because you’re that damn good. The same reason I wanted you to take over as Sheriff. Nicole, if the town hadn’t been in such safe hands I would have still been in that seat downstairs no matter what the damn doctors said about my hands. _You_ are the best person for the job, not Wynonna and not anyone else!”

“Wynonna?!” Nicole barked out in shock as the name sank in.

“Yeah,” Randy grimaced. “I hear that Bunny has actually put Wynonna’s name forward as your replacement like she thinks she could control Wynonna,” he snorted at the thought of anyone being able to do that. “She said that if the town has to have a Werewolf in charge then why not Wynonna as it’s her pack?”

‘Wynonna?’ The name rang around Nicole’s head over and over again. It was impossible… Ludicrous even… there was no one she could think of that would want the job less! Or did she? She did work for Black Badge and she was the pack Alpha. And as such the pack would give her the respect they would surely lose for her now she was no longer one of them. Was it really such a bad idea?

“Sir, what if I’m not anymore?”

“Not what?” Randy sat back in shock, his brow creasing further at her quietly muttered words.

“What if I’m not good enough?

“Nicole,” his chair creaked as he leaned forward, his hand sliding across the desk towards her in an offer of support that he knew she’d seen despite her head been lowered, her eyes focussed upon the carpet between her feet. “There is no doubt in my mind—”

“Sir,” Nicole quickly interrupted him. “With all due respect, there is doubt in mine. I just don’t know any more. I got this,” she gestured angrily towards her split lip, “because I didn’t see a wild swing from a drunk coming from a mile away!”

“Nicole, that’s happened to all of us—”

“Not to me!”

Randy sat back in his chair with a sigh, his brow furrowing at the sadness in her soft voice. He studied her intently, the way her eyes remained glued to the floor and her fingers plucked at the seam of her pants nervously and so unlike her. Growing up in Purgatory, the people in his life were ones he’d known all his life but this young woman was more like a daughter to him than just a relative even though their relationship was still so new in so many ways.

He had searched for her for over twenty years, never giving up hope even when all had seemed hopeless. Not knowing what life she might have lived. The things that might have shaped the person she would become. He’d had hope though and that hope had been more than met when he had finally found her at the academy training to be a part of the profession he held just as close to his heart.

Life had tried in so many ways to beat her down and crush the spirit out of her from the moment she had been born and yet she had become this remarkable person that so many, himself included, looked too. To see her riddled with such self-doubt felt like a fist closing around his heart.

“Right!” coming to a decision, he slapped his hands down upon his desk a little sharper than he intended and nearly sent Nicole toppling out of her chair in shock.

“Sir?!”

“You want to know? Then, we’ll find out!”

Frowning, Nicole tilted her head, wondering just what was going through his mind, not quite sure if she wanted to know as he gave a smirk that was just a little too reminiscent of Wynonna’s when she was scheming.

“Sir?”

“Starting this Monday morning… assuming Waverly will let you out when she sees your face, I’ll put you through your paces, make sure you’re still qualified to sit in my old chair. Would that be proof enough for you?”

“Sir, I’m not going to be as good as I was no matter what—”

“Forget all that! I know you must have held yourself back at the academy to make sure you didn’t stand out too much, right?” He waited for her to nod. “Then we’ll go on those results and those of every officer that works under you if that’s what you want. And this time you won’t hold yourself back. You’ll give it everything you’ve got through everything we throw at you and prove yourself to me and yourself. Deal?”

“We?” Nicole questioned cautiously.

“Deal?” Randy insisted.

“Deal, sir.”

“Good. Now get your ass out of my office. And Nicole?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Good luck with Waverly later.”

Nicole barely resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him and instead fished the nameplate out of the bin and placed it front and centre on his desk.

“You’re our Mayor, be proud of it. I am.” She tapped a finger on the top of the nameplate as a blush crept up from the edge of her collar. Turning on her heel, she left him to bluster and grumble under his breath with what he hoped was a hint of pride in his gruff voice.

Making her way back down the stairs, Nicole gave the holding and booking-in area a wide birth and closed and locked her office door on the shouts and borderline screams coming from them. With more control than she was feeling, Nicole closed all the blinds, blocking out her view through the windows and any glances of anyone passing by.

She sat down with a barely suppressed groan. Her conversation with Nedley, the revelations about Bunny’s scheming that had come with it, had left her feeling weary to the core; her bones and soul aching.

Opening up the bottom drawer of her desk, Nicole reached into the very back and fished out a glass and the thankfully still unopened bottle of good whiskey.

She needed a goddamn drink.

**********

With the last of the doughnuts pilfered from the break room spinning on the middle finger of her left hand and her phone in her right with the screen still lit up from the incoming message, no, order, from Waverly, Wynonna paused before heading back into the still too sparkly Black Badge office, took a thoughtful bite of the sugary doughnut and turned her gaze towards the strangely darkened office of on specific red headed Sheriff.

One specific red headed Sheriff who had apparently sent a very misspelt text to Waverly, apparently unusual in itself as Nicole was an uptight weirdo that was a stickler for punctuation even in texts. But… in said misspelt text, she had said she was working a double as it was busy in the office. But… and this was a big but; Wynonna knew for a fact that, apart from a very vocal stripper and her ex, the Sheriff’s Department had spent the day exercising their thumbs playing Candy Crush and Pokémon Go while Nicole’s office had been locked up tighter than a drum and in darkness.

“Hmmm.” Eyes narrowing further, Wynonna lifted her head and took a thoughtful sniff past the scent of doughnut and cops and caught the still there but muted scent of vanilla and lavender that Waverly claimed was proof that Nicole’s wolf was still there somehow. And maybe it was proof or maybe it was from Waverly’s scent marking with how often they were rubbing on each other. Either way, this time it was blanketed beneath a layer of whiskey so heavy in the air it rivalled karaoke night and happy hour at Shorty’s combined.

Her mind made up… more by the chime of her phone as another message from Waverly came in, Wynonna stuffed the doughnut in her mouth as she quickly shot a message back with a promise to check in on Haughtstuff as she made her way through the bullpen to the darkened office. Saluting a concerned looking J.D. with the remains of the doughnut, she tapped on the door. Hearing nothing but a soft grumble and a chink of a glass against wood; both almost too quiet even for her to hear, Wynonna decided to go for the subtle approach and fished her carefully concealed lock picking kit out of her jacket instead of kicking the door down.

Mama would be proud… or maybe not, she had found Mama polishing up her old rifle ready for turkey season, muttering plans for a traditional Christmas dinner even though a good portion of the family was vegan just the other day.

Counting off the seconds in her head until she heard the tell-tale sound of tumblers tumbling and the lock succumbing to her skill, Wynonna was proud that she hadn’t lost a step even though it had been a while since she had picked a lock.

Grasping the handle, she gave it a turn and pushed the door open… Only to almost fall back in shock with a yelp as Nicole was right there with a bottle of whiskey thrust in her direction.

“If you’d wanted a whiskey so bad, you could have just gone ‘cross the road to Shorty’s. Not like you ever pay for it there.”

“Geez, how many have you had, Haught?” she questioned as Nicole turned and wobbled her way back to her seat.

“Just the one up with our good Mayor,” Nicole stated tiredly as she stared at the untouched shot of amber liquid she had been staring at for a couple of hours. She had every intention of drinking it and more besides but she was just too bone weary to lift the glass.

“One bottle?”

“I’m not drunk, Earp. Just tired. So goddamn tired.”

“Well, I’d hate to see you not drink alone so how about you pour one for me too.” Kicking the door shut behind her, Wynonna pulled up a chair and prepared to wait as long as it took for Nicole to spill on what was bothering her. She’d hoped that having her there to sound off to might loosen Nicole up a little but she was left blinking in shock, and maybe just a little bit impressed, as it seemed to loosen Nicole’s thirst to the point that she downed two and was on the way to pouring her third healthy short before Wynonna had even had the chance to pick her glass up.

“Bunny Loblaw is trying to use me… to use what I am now… to replace me and Nedley too.”

“What?!” Shooting back her whiskey in shock, Wynonna grabbed the bottle and poured herself another. She wished she could say that Nicole was imagining it but it was just the kind of thing Bun Bun would try. “Who is that crazy old mare trying to replace you with?”

“You.”

Wynonna spluttered, whiskey spraying across Nicole’s desk as she coughed and choked on the fiery liquid.

“What. The. Fuck?!”

“I know right? You’re not even qualified to run a Chipotle.”

“Guac-a-cuse me?” Wynonna straightened up in her chair and tried _really_ hard not to be offended no matter how right Nicole was with that statement. Hey, the fast food business was no joke!

“You would be good as Sheriff though. The pack would listen to you.”

“What the fuck, Nicole! I don’t want to be Nedley 2.0 or Haught 2.0!” And if anyone from the pack wasn’t giving Tator-Haught respect she would beat their asses! “Drink!” she filled Nicole’s glass almost to the brim. “Maybe some booze will help you see reason.”

“Clarity of mind is not something alcohol is known for inducing, Earp.”

“Fudge! You’re right! But, if you can still use a word like inducing with a straight face, you haven’t had too much yet, so…” She tried to snatch the glass out of Nicole’s reach but got a belligerent glower from Nicole as she pulled it back and started chugging on it. “Fine. But if you’re going to drink like that, we’re going to need another bottle.” At least until Haughtass passed out or became malleable enough for her to get her sorry behind back home to Waverly.

Get Haught drunk! Get Haught home! It was a plan… probably not a _great_ plan, but Wynonna felt sure it would work.

**********

The plan was not working!

Wynonna glanced at her watch and checked the time against the clock on the wall… yep, past midnight. And despite the amount of whiskey sloshing around Haught’s system, she was proving to be remarkably resilient to its effects even without her wolf abilities to soak it up. And she was very resistant, belligerently so, to the thought of going home.

Wynonna had considered just calling Waverly to get her but she knew she would be in for a world of hurt for once again getting Nicole drunk… or in this case just heavily tipsy and sprawled out face first across her desk while muttering darkly to herself.

This would not do!

“Back in a minute, Haughty!”

“Not goin’ anywhere, Earp,” Nicole hiccupped against the piece of paper stuck under her cheek.

Feeling the hard press of cold metal tightening around her wrist at the same time as her ears registered a familiar ratcheting sound, Nicole lifted her head from her desk and blinked slowly. A frown creased her brow as she looked from the silver band encircling her right wrist and followed the deceptively delicate looking chain draped across her desk to the identical band on the other end as Wynonna snapped it around her own wrist.

“What the fuck, Earp?!”

“Relax, Red,” Wynonna chortled at her aghast expression. “Just making sure you relax and have some fun!” And that she wouldn’t try to wander off or resist when Wynonna threw her over her shoulder to wrestle her to her truck to take her home.

“The whiskey wasn’t fun enough for you? Wait,” Nicole narrowed her gaze and tried to blink the cuffs into focus more clearly as dread built within her. “Where did you get these from?”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch!” Wynonna chuckled as Haught pushed at the cuff around her wrist. “They’re not any I pinched off your guys—”

“Which sounds like that’s something you’ve done before? Wait, is that why we’re short of supplies again this month!?” Wynonna’s blustered snort and dismissive wave of her arms that yanked Nicole out of her seat and most of the way over her desk before Wynonna thought to contain herself was telling to say the least.

“Whoops, careful there, Haughtstuff!”

“That was your damn fault!” Nicole huffed as she tried to right herself. “Never mind that though,” she waved her free hand before Wynonna could distract her already scattered thoughts. “Where did you get them?”

“Just from a box in the supply closet,” Wynonna tsked at Nicole’s lack of good humour.

“The supply closet?”

“Mmmhmm!”

“In a box marked ‘faulty, return to supplier’? That box in the supply closet?”

“Now that you mention it, there was writing on it.”

“Perfect… Just perfect! Fantastic week… Cruiser stolen! Stupid freaking street signs! Punched by a drunk! And not only have I got Bunny Freakin’ Loblaw trying to take my job but now I’m chained to the woman she wants to take my place with by faulty cuffs!”

“Cool your jets, Haught! Firstly, I already told you, I don’t want to be Sheriff. Secondly,” Wynonna yanked on the cuffs sending the chain clinking against the desk, “so what if they’re faulty? We use a key. No biggie!” she soothed, knowing that Nicole’s frustration had little to do with her. She had nothing to do with Bunny’s scheming and it wasn’t like she was the one that had stolen the Sheriff’s Departments backup to the backup cruiser.

Stupid fratboys!

How was she to know that they would be lurking around waiting to get into mischief just when she had borrowed it to go on a doughnut supply run?

Yeah, maybe she should have locked it but… FRATBOYS!!!!

“Earp!” Nicole huffed in exasperation. “They’re no ‘just’ cuffs. They are a new form of Werewolf proof cuff that Xavier had ordered in to try out for both our departments.”

“What? But…” Wynonna scowled at them in confusion. “Usually wolf proof cuffs sting like a son of a bitch from the silver.”

“I did just say that they were a new form, didn’t I? Pretty sure I did. Go ahead, try changing to slip them. Try snapping them,” she challenged.

The way Nicole’s lips were pursed told Wynonna she wouldn’t be able to do either but, stubborn being her middle name- she tried anyway. And tried and tried again!

Sweat broke out on her brow and panic rolled through her.

“What the fuck! What the actual fuck! Nicole! I can’t fucking change!? I just thought they would change size with me or something! What the fuck!?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck! That’s the worst! That could drive a wolf insane not being able to shift— Oh fuck!” Wynonna’s brain belatedly caught up with the words that had poured unfiltered from her mouth. Her eyes snapped up from where they had been glowering at the cuffs and saw the hurt in Nicole’s brown eyes. “Shit! I didn’t mean to say that! I didn’t think! I am so sorry, Nicole.”

“No. It's fine, Wynonna. You’re right. Not being able to shift— It sucks balls.” Gesturing dismissively, Nicole looked to the empty whiskey bottle sitting on her desk and tried to remember if there was any more hidden around anywhere.

“It’s not okay,” Wynonna husked soothingly. With a teasing tug on the chain between them, she drew Nicole’s hand closer and grasped her forearm reassuringly. “Don’t give up on us- on fixing this, okay?”

Nicole blinked down at the hand resting upon her. “Are you going soft on me, Earp?”

“Asshole!” Pushing Nicole’s hand away, Wynonna snatched up the empty bottle and made a show of draining the last drops out of it while Nicole pouted.

“So, Haughtass, where are the keys so we can get out of these?”

“Ahh. Remember that faulty thing I mentioned?”

“Yeah- I haven’t gone senile just yet,” she snorted.

“Well, you already just demonstrated that they do what they were made to so that’s not why they’re faulty. They’re all packed up ready to be returned to the supplier because the keys they send don’t open any of the cuffs.”

“What?” Wynonna squeaked out in disbelief and stared at the cuffs in dawning horror. “Noooooooo!” she drew the word out almost to the point of a plaintive howl.

“Yep.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!!!!!”

“Earp! Saying ‘no’ over and over. No matter how you say it, it ain’t gonna change the fact that you got us stuck together in a pair of keyless, werewolf-proof cuffs, on a holiday weekend.”

“No!”

While Wynonna was busy staring in blank confusion at the cuffs, Nicole allowed her body to slump uncomfortably across the width of her desk. Not that she had much of a say in her position right then; leaning back was denied her by the length of the chain and sitting upright was getting more and more difficult as the whiskey was finally having an effect on her ability to remain upright.

“Hey! On sleeping on the job while I’m having a panic attack!”

“Not on the clock right now, Earp,” Nicole drawled out against the cool surface of her desk.

“How about the job of getting up the fuck out of this situation before Waverly finds us?” _That_ made Nicole look up. Her eyes were soft and unfocused from the alcohol but comically wide in dawning panic at the thought of facing Waverly’s wrath. “I don’t know about you, Haughtshot but I’m not hopeful of our chances if she catches us like this.”

“This is all your fault!” Nicole reached for her phone. “You had to mess around the cuffs!”

“Maybe,” Wynonna shrugged, “but I’m not going down alone. All Waverly will hear is that I caught you drinking alone after she asked me to check on you and before I could phone her to let her know, you’d cuffed us together.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“Wanna bet on that?” fixing her best poker face in place, Wynonna stared Nicole down an relied on her inebriated state to mess with her usual common sense and judgement when it came to Waves. If that failed she would just smash every phone before Nicole could do anything rash.

“Fine,” Nicole let her hand drop away from her phone. “What do we do then?”

“Think, Haught! There must be a way to break up out of these? Oh! Where are they from? Someone must have a key that will work where they were made, right?!” Standing up, Wynonna yanked Nicole out of her seat and dragged her through the empty station to the supply closet where she had found them. “There!” She ripped the packaging apart and waved the return address under Nicole’s nose. “It’s only a couple of hours away!”

“Holiday weekend, Earp!” Nicole tried to put the brakes on as Wynonna towed her determinedly from the building before she could put a stop to her madness… grab her phone… her credentials or anything else.

“Big place like that? There will be someone there!” Wynonna cajoled as she pushed Nicole towards her truck. And if by some strange chance there was no one there… Well, they were on the official and very important business of _not_ getting raked over the coals by one Waverly Earp. In other words… they could always break in… It wasn’t like it wouldn’t be Wynonna’s first time doing a little breaking and entering!

Shoving on Nicole, Wynonna forced her into the truck through the driver’s door and climbed in behind her, pushing until Nicole was settled in the passenger seat almost twisted around with how they were both cuffed together by their right hands.

“I feel sick,” Nicole moaned, her eyes raking the distressingly dark and empty building and car park for J.D or anyone in the hope of rescue from the anticipation writ far too clearly on Wynonna’s face.

“Buckle up, Haughty! We’re going on a road trip!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A WynHaught road trip... what could possibly go wrong?!


	22. Chapter 22

Nicole barely managed to stifle a pitiful moan, one of many she had had to force down since they had left Purgatory, as Wynonna swung her truck at speed around a curve in the road. Nicole liked to think that she usually fared pretty well when it came to being a passenger and not once had she suffered from travel sickness no matter the state of the road or the speed it was being taken. Up until that moment, the Bluntline coach had been her worst experience but she had the feeling, the terrible, rolling, nauseous, swirling feeling, that that was a fact, or boast, she wouldn’t be able to claim for very much longer.

It wouldn’t be so bad if she could see where they were going… Maybe? It wasn’t as though she had many points of reference to what was happening with her since their battle with Kukulkan for her to know if seeing the road would make a damn bit of difference with the Earp women’s well-known love of high-speed warring with the whiskey sloshing around her stomach making the world tilt and spin around her.

“Earp! If you don’t slow the fuck down _right now_ I swear I will throw up all over you!” Nicole moaned pitifully. Threating her with a speeding ticket wouldn’t work how it did with Waverly as Wynonna, unlike Waverly, had more pride than shame over the ones she had amassed so far.

“Fine,” Wynonna relented, reluctantly easing her pressure on the gas pedal as she took in the pallor of Nicole’s skin and decided it was more than just a ploy to curtail her speed. “Crack a window open and stick your head out or something,” she chuckled at the thought.

“Not a dog but, yeah, sure. Let me just get right on that, Earp!” Huffing at the other woman, Nicole pulled on her right hand where it was pulled tight across her twisted body towards Wynonna by the chain of the cuffs. The position pulling her around so far she was seeing more of the road behind them than what was ahead.

“Hey! Careful there, Haughthead!” Wynonna admonished, tugging back on the chain to make sure she had the full use of her hands for driving.

“This is ridiculous! Give me your phone, Earp!”

“Why?”

“I’m calling Waves,” Nicole pouted. “She’ll be worried.”

“One; Need I remind you about the wrath of Waves that will rain down upon us for getting all sloshed.” Mostly on herself for getting Nicole sloshed.

“I don’t care, Earp. I don’t want her getting worried.”

“Two; your job is it gets around town about this,” she jingled the chain. “Waverly already knows you’re working a double. Just a couple of hours and you’ll be out of this without anyone being the wiser. _Then_ you can decide if you want to be all goody-two-shoes and admit the drinking.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched as Nicole sank down in the seat, her brow creasing as she tried to fight off the effects of the whiskey to work out the many flaws of the plan.

“Couple of hours, Haughtshot. That’s all,” she lulled invitingly.

“Couple of hours?”

“Yep.” Actually it would take longer than that, much longer. But, _hey_ , what Nicole didn’t know, she couldn’t complain about.

“’kay… I still want to call Waves though, she deserves to know.”

“No can do! I left my phone back at the station,” Wynonna smirked brightly. “And if you keep insisting I’ll just toss it out of the window,” she finished off just a bit quieter than before as Nicole sank back awkwardly in the seat.

“Huh?” Nicole knew there was something there she should be paying attention to but Wynonna took another sweeping bend and Nicole had to abandon thinking in favour for pressing her cheek against the cool glass of the back window and tried to fight down the waves of nausea rolling through her.

“Don’t worry, Haughtshot. We’ll get this all sorted out right quick. Lickety-split even.” And maybe she shouldn’t have been enjoying the plight of the usually squared away Alpha but there was that quip about Chipotle for her to atone for and… well, drunk Nicole was fun!

And... Wynonna missed her friend.

Black Badge had been busy investigating rumoured biker gang activity further along to the southwest of where they were heading both near and across the border into America. Drugs. Robberies. Murders and general biker gang shenanigans. It didn’t fall within the usual purview of Black Badge but Black Badge was still trying to atone for the sins of Moody so Lucado had asked them to look into it as they did kind of have cross border passes with their badges. And Xavier had wanted to put their new recruit, Valdez: no last name, just Valdez, through her paces.

The location had pulled them away from home and out of Nicole’s jurisdiction and add to that the fact that both Nicole and Waverly had been spending more time with Clarke and Alexandria trying to work out how to get Nicole’s wolf abilities back, and that very much left Wynonna missing her friend.

Which was why she had borrowed the PSD cruiser to go on a doughnut run. Okay, so mostly that had been because… DOUGHNUTS! Duh! But the intention had been there for them to spend time snacking on them and catching up… until the damn fratboys had stolen the cruiser out from under her nose while she had been deciding just how many boxes the PSD petty cash would stretch to.

“You okay, Haught?”

“Still workin’ on not hurlin’,” Nicole grumbled against the glass. Risking the motion, she cracked open an eye and looked at Wynonna. “Where in the hell are we goin’ anyway?” She peered at the road as best as she could through the darkness. It was narrower and definitely more winding than the ones around Purgatory and, unless she was mistaken, they were heading in a south-easterly direction. Even though they hadn’t travelled far, the landscape was just different enough; flatter and lacking the tree cover she loved, that it made her feel out of her comfort zone… unless that was just the nausea talking?

“Ahh, still with me on the plan then?!” Wynonna crowed, tossing Nicole a side-smirk.

“We are kind of stuck together, Earp,” Nicole felt the need to point out with a pointed glance at the cuffs as her arm was yanked around out of her control by Wynonna unnecessarily turning the heat up and down and messing with the air, only to put it right back where it had been.

“Sweet Grass is where the returns label said these shit-tickets were from.”

“Sweet Grass? Wait, that’s in Montana! Wynonna that’s the other side of the border!”

“Only some of it is… these things are from a warehouse on _our_ side so no biggie,” Wynonna grinned. “Anyway, I’ve got my badge to protect us if any of the border patrol assholes cause us any trouble…” breaking off she surreptitiously patted her jacket as she had an ‘oh shit’ flashback to leaving her credential in the office before she had gone to check up on Nicole. “Well, fuck,” she grumbled under her breath.

“Well fuck… what?” Nicole narrowed her one open eye at Wynonna.

“Nothing!” she sing-songed with fake cheer and a huge grin. “As I said, we’re good. You rest up, we’ll be there in about an hour or so!” it wasn’t like there was anything to worry about, she assured herself.

In and out.

Cuffs off.

Job done!

And back home before Waverly was any the wiser.

“How’s it going with the research? Sorry, Black Badge wasn’t able to help out much with that.”

“It’s—” Nicole paused to take a breath and gather her thoughts. “It’s going the same. Waverly is hopeful.”

“And you?” Wynonna asked, not in the least bit fooled by Nicole turning it on to Waverly. “How are you feeling?”

“Scared,” Nicole finally admitted after a long pause with only the sounds of the road flashing under the tyres and the feel of Wynonna’s blue eyes upon her to hold her confession at bay.

“Three days. Three more days until the full moon. My first one where I won’t be able to change and run with y’all. I never had anyone to run with for so long and now I have and I can’t,” tightening her jaw, Nicole worked the sob back down before it could fill the silence of the truck cab. “That— Yeah. Waverly is always hopeful though and I appreciate that! I really do… but…”

“But what?” Wynonna whispered quietly with a heart that was heavy and aching for her friend.

“Dark days have me wondering how long she can stay hopeful for, and if… things will change between us—”

“So help me, Nicole! If the next words out of your mouth are any form of ‘Waverly will leave me’ I will tie you to the back of the truck and drag your dumb ass home.”

Nicole’s jaw clicked shut at the righteous anger in Wynonna’s voice when she recognised that not only was it for thinking less than the best of Waverly but also for thinking less of herself and their love. Doubting herself was bad enough but Waverly had never said or done anything that deserved that.

“You would have to get the cuffs off first,” Nicole teased with a soft smile, giving the cuffs a quick jingle as she bumped their arms together. Wynonna shot a glare at her that was all dangerously narrowed eyes and pursed lips before she softened and gave her a caring smile. “Thanks, Earp.”

“Get some rest, you sappy idiot.” Wynonna shook her head as seconds later the cab with filled with the sound of soft snoring that didn’t even falter as the flash went off on her phone as she captured the image of Nicole drooling slightly with her face all smooshed against the window. “Yep, blackmail material right there,” she chuckled.

While Nicole snored, Wynonna tapped her fingers across the top of the steering wheel to the rhythm of it. Wasn’t as good as Hanson but she couldn’t afford to use her phone to MMMbop and have Nicole waking up and demanding the phone while she was feeling all extra about misjudging Waverly. That would be road trip over and, once they recovered from Waverly disapproving glare, more paperwork for both of them as well as Bun Bun’s evil scheming looming over them.

And while Nicole managed to somehow make the PSD uniforms look okay… yummy according to Waverly. The only uniform Wynonna could get behind was one that allowed her to wear her tasselled leather jacket and kickass, ass-kicking, boots.

Reaching the edge of Sweet Grass, Wynonna pulled the truck over and took a quick look at her phone to check the route to make sure they were heading in the right direction. “The Handcuff Warehouse,” she snorted and quickly turned off her phone and tucked it away as Nicole stirred and blinked open her eyes with a rough moan.

“Wha?” Scratching at her eyes with her free hand, Nicole looked around and surreptitiously wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

“Nearly there, Haughty!”

“Good,” Nicole moaned as she tried to pop some life back into her twisted body. “No offence but I’m kind of looking forward to ditching these… and especially you.”

“The cuffs I agree with but naw, you can’t fool me, ya love me too much, Haught.” Reaching out, she thwaped Nicole on the shoulder as she gave a non-committal, overly drawn out ‘wellllllll’ that was backed up by one of her ridiculously soft smiles. “God, you are so cheesy! No wonder Waves is so soft on you!”

“That’s good ‘cause I’m kind of soft on her too… Wait, by soft you do mean in love with right? ‘Cause I really, really, love Waverly. Kind of love you too, Earp.”

“Gross. You have had way too much to drink. Hey, after this how about we get you a tattoo? Waves would love that. Maybe a blazing phoenix all up your butt?” she smirked.

“I’m not that drunk, Earp. But… if that was what Waverly really wanted in her beautiful heart,” Nicole smiled softly.

“Okay, I resend my earlier ‘gross’ and I’m putting it right here with that statement where it belongs, you sappy cinnamon roll.” Tugging on the chain linking them together just to pull Nicole off balance, Wynonna started her truck again and pointed them in the direction of the warehouse.

“Wow, they couldn’t get much further from town, could they?”

Wynonna nodded her head in quiet agreement. From her quick glimpse of the map, she’d seen that most of the warehouses and main businesses were on the outskirts of town. Which kind of stood to reason with them being pretty new looking buildings. What Wynonna hadn’t expected though was just how far out of town ‘The Handcuff Warehouse’ was or just how friggin’ big the building was going to be.

“Jesus! That is big! Just how many handcuffs do they deal in?”

“Oh, they don’t just make and deal with cuffs and restraints, Earp. That nice innocuous name hides that they deal with all kinds of law enforcement and security devices… and weapons.”

“Weapons? Well, shit! What kind of weapons?”

Nicole cocked a brow and rolled her eyes at the level of interest in Wynonna’s voice. “Not something I’m interested in, Earp. And they don’t exactly list those on their website.” Twisting as best as she could, Nicole moved closer to the window and looked at the darkened, sprawling grey building before them as Wynonna drove through the unmanned security gate standing guard over the place.

Something wasn’t right.

A building that size, with what it contained… there should have been someone on guard at the gate and people patrolling the grounds even though it was a holiday weekend. Instead, it was quiet and empty… too empty.

“Wynonna—”

A banging on the window beside her head had Nicole nearly falling into the footwell in her effort to spin around. Her hand instinctively flew to where her belt should have been but even if it had of been there instead of in her office at the station, it would have done little good as the truck was already surrounded by a group of rough men that looked far too comfortable at the thought of using the weapons they were carrying. In fact, they looked a bit too eager to pull the triggers.

“Oh, hell. Banditos,” Wynonna hissed beneath her breath as she took in the familiar garb of the men surrounding them and the familiar patches on their jackets that had become well know and feared by those that knew what they represented.

“What?”

“Just follow my lead, Haughtstuff and try not to be too… _you!_ ”

“What does that mean?” Nicole hissed back, feeling kind of affronted but not sure why. But instead of answering, Wynonna forcibly pushed open her door like she was stepping out on Americas Next Top Model and not facing down a load of guns and damn near dragged her out in her wake.

“Hello there, boys! We didn’t know you were doing a job here tonight.” Picking out the obvious leader of the gang from the way the others looked to him in confusion at her actions, Wynonna stuck out her hand in a way that she knew he would recognise and completed the ‘secret’ handshake that she still remembered from her time running with the Banditos.

Thankfully it seemed that they hadn’t changed it since her time as the leader relaxed even if only slightly. But, as she was cuffed to Nicole who was dressed in her uniform that was only to be expected.

“You shouldn’t be here—”

“Wynonna,” she interrupted him to introduce herself before he could put an abrupt bullet-ridden ending to their conversation. “You’ve no doubt heard of me—”

“Nope, can’t say that we have,” he shot back.

“Well, that’s rude,” Wynonna mumbled under her breath. “I haven’t been gone that long. Oh!” she snapped her fingers, “The Bleaker job?”

“Bleaker? That was you?”

“No way _that_ was down to a little scrap like you!”

“Now I’m kind of offended! That was all me!”

“Even the part where you were the only one to escape after the explosion?”

“Explosion?” Nicole hissed.

“Well now, I couldn’t very well help it is Dumb Dave lived up to his name and set the bomb off early and blew himself to pieces!”

“Bomb!?” Nicole squeaked out urgently.

“Yeah! That was Dumb Dave to a tee!”

“So, now you know me… who are you?”

“Jimmy. Chad. Lance. Jarvis. Hui. Keith. Reid.”

Wynonna nodded as the leader gestured to each of the gang in turn.

“And I’m Rolf.”

“Rolf?” she snorted.

“Yeah. Leader of this here group of fine men. Bandito. And, Dumb Dave’s brother.”

“Crap,” Nicole hissed.

“Brother? Oh—”

“Yeah,” Rolf stepped closer, towering menacingly over the woman. “He really was dumb as shit!”

Wynonna huffed and struggled to keep her feet as Rolf pounded her between the shoulder blades and threw back his head in a laugh that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Well, this was great! Just peachy!

“So. Wynonna,” Rolf chewed on her name and growled it out. “Just what are you doing here and chained to a pig?”

“Hey!”

Wynonna pulled on the cuff, pulling Nicole off balance and towards her so she could throw her arm over her shoulders. “This here is Nicky She’s my erm… bitch,” she winced at the glower Nicole was shooting at her but warmed to the story she was weaving. “Yeah. We got into a bit trouble earlier doing a little job that needed a po po costume,” she gestured at Nicole’s uniform. “We got a little tangled up with the real five-oh. And seeing as we need a set of keys for it we decided to liberate some other _goodies_ on the way to take back to the gang.”

“Hey, Rolf! That looks like a Purgatory uniform. Pretty good copy too.”

“Copy?!”

“You’ll have to excuse my girl talking out of turn,” grabbing Nicole by the scruff of her neck, Wynonna silently begged Waverly for forgiveness as she pressed their lips together. “Hush now Nicky, you know better. She made it herself so she was a little put out and kicked the deputy in the nuts when it got made so easily.”

“Feisty! I like that in a woman!”

“I am a _lesbian!_ ”

“So do I… And just so we’re clear though boys, I don’t want to catch whatever you’ve got so I don’t share!”

“Does that go for everything or is that just for the fire-crotch?”

“Just for this one… she’s kind of… special,” she winked to get them laughing with her and tightened her hold on Nicole. Even drunk and without the strength of her wolf, Wynonna wasn’t sure she would be able to hold Nicole back much longer if the idiot kept on running his mouth.

“That’s fine by us, right boys?” Rolf held up a hand to still the rumble of disquiet amongst his boys. While they had a use for the women it would be a shame to rock the boat too much. Once their usefulness was over with though… they would do whatever the hell they wanted just as long as he got to watch the life bleed out of that bitch, Wynonna’s eyes for what she did to Dave; God rest his dumb ass.

“We will be needing that uniform she knocked up for a job though.”

“Don’t think it would fit any of you boys. You’re all a little too big in the… shoulders.” _Don’t look at their beer bellies! Don’t look at their beer bellies!_

“Come with us,” nodding to his gang, Rolf turned his back as they grabbed the two women and covered their heads with black cloth sacks that cinched in tight around their necks.

“Hey!”

“What the fuck!” Wynonna reached for the hood but her hand was pushed sharply away and there was a warning poke of what felt like the barrel of a gun against her side.

“Don’t try to take them off. It’s just a precaution,” he chuckled as they were patted down for weapons and phones before they were tossed into the back of one of the vans they had filled with weapons from the warehouse. “Hui, bring the girls truck! Try not to put _too_ many dents in it!”

“Son of a—” Wynonna’s threat was broken off on the end of a harsh jab landing just under her ribs from what she was pretty sure was from the point of Nicole’s elbow.

**********

Nicole hadn’t thought it was possible to be on a worse journey in a vehicle than the one that had brought her to Sweet Grass. She quickly found though that being blindfolded in the back of a van with no way to protect herself from Wynonna’s body being yanked along and rolling into hers… seriously a body should not have so many sharp edges as Wynonna’s seemed to, it was worse than the wooden crates of stolen weapons she kept bouncing off.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she was trying to figure a way out of whatever the hell it was that Wynonna had landed them in and every clue about where they were being taken, she would have thrown up in the hood over her head not long after the van had started up.

Judging distance and time was pretty much impossible but it didn’t feel as though they had taken too many turns along the way before the van slowed noticeably and there was one sudden, sharp turn that had her ribs meeting painfully with the corner of a crate and the sound of the road changed to something more potholed and just different enough as the van idled along at a much slower pace before pulling to a halt to make her brow crease.

Even though the leader seemed to blame Wynonna for his brother being dumb enough to get himself blown up… dumb Dave. Really dumb. Nicole was hopeful-ish. Buoyed slightly by the fact that the gang hadn’t killed them on the spot and seemed to want something from them. Hopefully more than just her uniform cause she really didn’t want to be naked around them. If she could have shifted her form, she wouldn’t have minded. In fact, she would have been all too willing to show them just how fast her clothes could be removed when her body grew like that. But… without her wolf, she was just left with an all too human feeling of vulnerability to being naked.

A hand grabbed her by the elbow in a grip that was tight and punishing as it ‘helped’ her from the van and stayed there as the hood was loosened and yanked from over her head. Nicole quickly looked to the woman on the other end of the chain still holding them together and quickly checked to make sure she was okay before they were both rudely shoved in their backs to get them moving towards a building that looked like it had seen better days.

“Can you tell where we are?” Nicole hissed quietly as they were ushered along between a loose gaggle of the gang. Apparently, now that they felt themselves safe; home, Wynonna and herself weren’t worth the effort of guarding.

“Other than by that sign?” Wynonna nodded her chin towards the peeling sign above the door they were heading towards.

**_‘Smugglers Saloon’_ **

“I was hoping for something that might give us a better idea of our location… where there might be someone that could help?” Nicole huffed in frustration.

“Ahh, smell? Sorry Redhaught, all I can smell are the unwashed masses.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Jarvis. You smell like a peach… One fermenting and rotting in a heat wave,” Wynonna whispered to Nicole out of the corner of her mouth. “Hey, would you look at that!” Nudging Nicole, she turned her to the side then, quickly realising that maybe showing an interest wasn’t wise, yanked her back around again. “No, don’t look!”

It was too late.

Nicole’s eyes shot wide as the familiar paintwork on the PSD cruiser poorly hidden behind a row of dumpsters burned into her brain like an explosion of heat and white noise. The sharp bite of Wynonna’s nails as they dug into her hand stopped her before her dropped open mouth could do more than suck in a breath.

Right! The gang knowing she was the Sheriff of Purgatory, for the time being at least, would not be a good thing.

“Ya spotted it, huh?”

“Nice job on the paintwork. Almost looks like the real thing.” Nicole somehow got out past the too wide, fake grin plastered on her face.

“That’s the real deal, girlie!”

“Why?”

“For our latest venture,” spreading wide an arm in a sweeping gesture, Rolf smirked mockingly as he ordered them into the bar under the pretence of a welcome. “Come in! Come in! Drinks are on me, boys!” He laughed loudly, his gang finally catching on and laughing with him at their shared joke as he slid over the bar and started pulling down bottles of alcohol for everyone.

“I would love to join you but Nicky here is a bit of a lightweight—”

“Fuck you!”

“—and I really don’t want to have to carry her ass everywhere. Now, if you’ve got any way to get us out of these?”

“Drinks first. All of us. Just a little friendly competition as a sign of good faith before we discuss business.”

“I’m all for a bit of competition but— How about something else? Pool?”

“No can do, Keith set the table on fire last week. He’s a poor loser. What else are you two good at?” he asked, humouring them.

“Golden Girls trivia!”

Slowly turning her head, Wynonna stared at Nicole in disbelief and confusion. “Seriously!?”

“Shots it is! Last man standing wins!”

“Wonderful,” Nicole groused as she was forced down into a rickety chair at Wynonna’s side with Rolf and Jarvis sitting across from them at the small, stained wooden table while the rest of the gang milled around showing various levels of interest and attention at what was going on.

While she had the chance, she looked around at the darkened bar in search of unguarded exits they might have to make use of if things went more pear-shaped than they already were. It was small. Smaller than Shorty’s but even before it had fallen into disrepair or into the hands of the Banditos, Nicole felt sure it had lacked the warmth and history that Purgatory’s watering hole had seeping out of its very woodwork.

It was too far from anything. And, going by the faded posters still clinging to the walls, it had nothing to help it stand out from the crowd. Any customers in a place like that were transitory and, assuming they were after a drink and not there looking to do a shady deal, they were better off somewhere they could drink and not risk getting pulled over and breathalysed by a cop looking to fill a quota.

The repetitive, solid **_clunk_** of thick glasses against wood snapped Nicole’s eyes and attention back to the table and the shot glasses lined up before them overflowing with some kind of clear, and no doubt potent as hell, booze. The smile of anticipation on Rolf's face was almost as troubling as the confident one on Wynonna’s.

Obviously, her ‘friend’ had forgotten or was choosing to ignore the small fact that she couldn’t shake off the effects of alcohol right then. Wincing at the way they stared at each other intently as they tossed back their drinks, Nicole followed their lead reluctantly. Maybe they would get so engrossed with their competition that no one would notice if she didn’t drink as much?

“I can already taste victory!” Rolf smirked as he slapped his glass back on the table and reached for the next, hurrying the women into finishing their first shots to keep up.

“I taste the academy,” Nicole grimaced as the second shot burnt the inside of her mouth. Oh god! The sadists were alternating shots of vodka and tequila?

“Academy?”

“Yeah,” Wynonna smacked Nicole between her shoulders as punishment for her slip of words. “A ‘Clown Academy’ at a local youth centre. Nicky here was too poor and stupid to get into college.”

“You should see what I can do with balloon animals.”

Rolf looked at them in confusion before the alcohol burning through his system had him deciding that they were talking about something kinky and then everything was funny.

At somewhere around the fifth shot, Wynonna decided to speed things along. “So, Rolfy. What is this job you’ve got planned?” Feeling his eyes trying to focus upon her, Wynonna faked a drunken sway. Nicole didn’t need to fake a damn thing as the vodka and tequila were stacking up on the whiskey from earlier a little too well.

“Mmm,” Rolf licked his lips, catching the drops of booze from the shot he tossed back. “Some broad came to us with an offer.”

“What woman? What kind of offer?”

“One of those fake posh bitches. She wants some ‘discourse’ sewn over in her home town so she can get things her way,” he flapped her fingers together, mocking the amount of talking she had done. “Nearly kicked her out on her ass but… well, her home town is Purgatory and since our good friend Bobo was taken out our profits have gone a little south and we’ve got time on our hands for a little revenge.”

“Bobo?” Nicole tried to surge to her feet to meet the anger surging through her body at the name but Wynonna’s iron grip on her thigh anchored her to the chair.

“Dumbass name, I know. But he was good for business with the drugs and guns.”

“What have you got planned then?”

“Interested, huh?”

“Might be. We’re all for messing with the local cops,” she waved a hand to indicate the supposedly ‘fake’ uniform Nicole was wearing.

“Yeah, that might come in handy. Especially with the pig-mobile she had stolen right from under those idiots noses,” he laughed. “I was just thinking that we could play dress up and cause some trouble, rob a few places, burn a few buildings before we move in and take over. But…” he eyed them both, blinking to bring them into focus. “Well, _you_ ,” he gestured to Wynonna, “you might just be able to pass for a cop even in that thing she threw together. Fire-crotch there? Naw, no one would be fooled by that.”

“Yeah, I’m hearing that a lot lately,” Nicole groused.

“I would try it on and show you right here and now,” Wynonna purred out suggestively. “But…” she held up their cuffed hands as the gang all leaned forward in anticipation as though they were glued together, “can’t do that with these cuffs on.”

Rolf licked his lips at the offer in Wynonna’s blue eyes. His brother, God rest his soul, be damned. The prospect of getting to see them stripped off, willingly or not, was just too tempting an offer to pass up on. “Chad! Reid! Help the ladies out of their pre-pre-dicament,” he drawled out drunkenly.

“Erm, boss? Boss!”

“What?” Rolf growled as Reid dropped the bolt cutters to his side and backed away from the cuff women without even trying to cut through the chain.

“These are werewolf cuffs.”

“You— Wait…” the pieces started to fall slowly into place one maybe not so fake after all uniform at a time. “Purgatory has—”

“You’re a werewolf!?” Surging to her feet, Nicole dragged Wynonna out of her seat.

“What?” Wynonna gawped at Nicole, trying to work out what was going on.

“You bitch! All this time and you didn’t tell me!” Nicole dragged Wynonna back from the table in an agitated motion.

“Wait—”

Nicole rounded on Wynonna, gestured wildly with a finger right under her nose and then paced away, dragging her in her wake. She was way beyond three sheets to the wind but she knew they had to get the hell out of there and away from the loathing she could see building on their faces just at the mention of them being wolves. “All those drinkin’ games we had and you can’t even get drunk!”

“You cheated?!”

“Surprise, motherfucker!” Picking up a chair, Wynonna swung it at the head of the nearest member of the gang. “You picked the wrong women to mess with! You didn’t ask for my full name so… Wynonna Earp, pack leader in Purgatory and my best friend, Sheriff Nicole Haught! Remember the names, dirtbags!”

“Wynonna!” Nicole grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards the door as guns started to be drawn and pointed in their direction. “Stop quipping and run!”

Grabbing a piece of railing, Nicole jammed it through the handles of the door just in time to stop the first rush from following them. “Dumbass, I’m the one who is blind drunk and allowed to do dumb shit, not you!”

“They asked for it!”

“Cruiser!”

“We can just hotwire a van!” Wynonna protested as Nicole dragged her towards the car.

“I am not leaving PSD equipment here! And,” reaching under the wheel arch, she pulled out a spare key hidden there and brandished it triumphantly at Wynonna.

“Fine,” Wynonna rolled her eyes as she snatched it out of her hand. Trust Nicole to even have a stick up her butt and put a dampener on her fun even when she was drunk. “But I’m driving!”

It was a plan!

A perfectly fine plan!

It was…

Up until the sound of the doors to the saloon crashing open and the bark of a shotgun going off over their heads startled Wynonna and the key snapped off in the lock as she ducked for cover.

“Told you we should have taken a van!” Wynonna hissed. Looking around, she quickly pointed in the direction of a line of trees. They would be exposed until they reached them, and they only had seconds to move before they were outflanked and out of options. But once within them… even though the trees were widely spaced… well, that was _their_ hunting ground.

“Just run already!” Nicole urged as the gang started racing towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently drunk Nicole inspires me to write faster as I didn't expect to be posting so much this week o.O
> 
> A couple of quick AN's while I'm here. 1, yes, there is as far as I can tell from Google maps a small town on the border called Sweet Grass and it has got a Smugglers Saloon there. 2, yep, there is also kind of a Handcuff Warehouse. I found the website online anyway. But 3, I totally took artistic licence with distances, what everything looks like and what the Handcuff Warehouse sells and all that :p 


	23. Chapter 23

Realising that she had read the same chapter at least three times and still couldn’t remember a gosh-darn single word, Waverly closed the book with a heartfelt sigh and tapped the edge it against her pursed lips. The scent of Nicole rose from the pages of what was her favourite book and teased Waverly’s nose with the warmth of vanilla ingrained into it from her handling.

Huffing as she saw the time staring at her from the clock sitting on the table on Nicole’s side of the bed and realising just how late it had become while she had been failing to distract herself, she slowly lowered the book. She lined it up carefully rather than giving in to the urge to toss it across the room in a fit of frustration, placing it so it was dead centre upon the much thicker and heavier Sumerian tome lying beside her upon the bed that she had been making her way through before the desire to hold something that was Nicole’s had overcome her.

Picking her phone up from the bedside table, Waverly turned on the screen and checked to make sure there were no texts or missed calls but there was nothing, not even a reply to her last message to Wynonna; which was typical Wynonna. All there was, was the picture Xavier had taken of them all at the village, laughing and smiling at the camera, her own cheeks looking a little pink at whatever Nicole had whispered into her ear just before the picture had been taken… it just made her miss Nicole all the more.

It also had the feeling of concern that had been building in her gut rising higher.

Throwing back her blankets, Waverly threw herself from their bed and paced back and forth between it and the window. With each restless circuit of the room, her glance fell time and again upon the empty space on the drive where Nicole’s vehicle should have been.

It wasn’t _that_ unusual for Nicole to have to do an extra shift or work late. It was part of her job and she was only too happy to do it if no one else needed the overtime. And crime never slept and all that.

But this… her own response to it… that was new.

It pulled her to a halt. Her brow creasing at the sudden concern that she was only worrying because Nicole couldn’t shift her form. No! That couldn’t be it… could it? No! Waverly shook her head, refusing to allow the fear to take root. Nicole was damn good at her job and not being able to change didn’t alter that fact!

Something else was wrong!

She could feel it!

She could… she realised, her eyes growing wide at the realisation that she actually could feel something. She was just so used to feeling Nicole in a specific, much more intense way, that she hadn’t thought to look deeper. And it _wasn’t_ just a feeling born out of concern for her Alpha or the fact that she couldn’t just reach out with her mind and feel the connection that was usually there.

This was…

There was a connection!

_There was!_

Quieter than usual… a whisper through her mind that was like chasing wisps of mist hidden in fag as she strained to try and catch it again.

But it was Nicole! She could feel echoes of her mind; jumbled and distant; the scent of trees and dirt; the sound of heavy breathing and… **_BOOM_**!

Waverly jolted, her fingers digging sharply into the edge of the wall by the window with such force that plaster rained down. Her eyes flew open in fear at the far too clear sound of a shotgun.

It was so clear that she looked around and strained her senses to make sure there was no closer threat as she made her way to the nursery to check on the kids and protect their tiny bodies with her own!

Waverly pressed a hand over her heart, trying to calm the frantic beat that was blocking her own ears as she eased open their door. She sagged weakly, her back crashing with a muffled thud against the wall that caught her and supported her slide down to the ground in relief at the sight of them sleeping peacefully and undisturbed by the sound only she had heard.

Bernie lifted his head from where he was snuggled between Jas and Mel and yawned at her sleepily and cocked his head questioningly. His soft ears twitched, a small noise leaving him before he slipped through the bars that somehow never managed to contain their determined children let alone him. He made his way quickly on soft, tiny paws across the nursery floor despite Waverly’s gesture for him to stay put and crawled into her arms, his small body a comforting weight as he pressed himself close and gave her cheek and chin a tiny lick that drew Waverly’s attention to the tears that had fallen unnoticed to trail down her face.

“I’m okay, buddy,” she whispered quietly into the silky ruff of his thicker coat where it lay around his neck. “I am,” she chuckled as he tilted his head and gave her a look that she read as disbelief from his one pale blue eye while the brown one still held caring. “Okay,” she relented, “I will be when Nicole gets home safe from whatever the hell it is she’s gotten herself into this time.”

Obviously, Bernie felt that was a more truthful statement as he gave a jaw-cracking yawn and plopped his head down against her. Despite the numbness spreading across her ass from her position on the hard floor, Waverly stayed where she was so she could be closer to their babies… and not disturb Bernie from his slumber as she tapped out messages to Nicole, Wynonna and the boys on her phone.

**********

Nicole stumbled, Wynonna’s grip on her side of the chain keeping her on her feet instead of planting face first into Wynonna’s back as she stopped suddenly right in front of her.

“Watch it there, Haughthead,” Wynonna hissed lowly as she pushed Nicole down out of sight into a bush as one of the gang crossed the path in front of them. They’d already dodged more shotgun blasts than she wanted to… luckily, most of them were wildly off target in an attempt to flush them out and the worst damage they had done had been the violent pruning of the top of a small tree. The last thing they wanted was to give the Banditos milling around the area a target they could actually aim at.

“Sorry,” Nicole whispered back. Shaking her head, she rubbed at her temples. “Jus’— I don’t know, I keep thinking I hear something,” or felt something. It just felt like if she could actually take a moment to breathe it would make sense.

“Probably all the booze you gulped down, and all their blasting got your head ringing.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she muttered. Wynonna was probably right. Even with the shot of instant sober-up being shot at provided, she was still feeling the effects off all the shots.

“We’re running out of trees and darkness here.”

Planting her chin on Wynonna’s shoulder to compensate for the length of the chain and the way the world was spinning and tilting, Nicole looked around her at the situation. Yep. Pretty darn bleak. “I miss our trees,” she grumbled more to herself than Wynonna. Even without her heightened senses, she knew just about every inch of the forests that surrounded their homes and lay within the territories of the pack and the Yiska, right down to the smallest mark on each trunk.

She knew them to the point that she could take a pretty good shot at running through them blindfolded. And had, sometimes with painful results, when Alexandria felt like testing her training more… but she was getting better at it!

These trees. This land. She didn’t know it. And they were fast running out of even the smallest advantage they had in knowing how to move around without making a sound and knowing how to take advantage of the smallest amount of cover and shadow, by the not so small fact that even though it was still the early hours of the morning, it was starting to get lighter as the sun inched ever closer to the point where it would storm over the horizon and blow their cover completely.

“We need to get back to the saloon and grab the cruiser—”

“What about my truck?!”

“Earp!” Nicole clenched her teeth and huffed. There was no way she was going to win on any arguments when it came to Wynonna’s precious truck. “Either will do, just needs to be able to take a few shotgun blasts if need be.”

Wynonna felt the blood drain from her face and her jaw drop at the thought of her baby taking a hit. “Right… cruiser it is then!”

Rolling her eyes, Nicole quickly checked around them and pulled Wynonna in the direction they needed to go.

“So, what happened with that Bleaker job?”

“You’ve never heard of it? Damn, I’m losing my touch!” Wynonna quipped back.

“Seriously?”

“It was a mess,” Wynonna sighed. “It was supposed to be an easy bank job. No running in with guns a-blazin'. No casualties. The shop next door was going to be empty for a couple of weeks so we were going to work from that side when the bank was empty. Get in, blow the locks to the vault and be out before anyone knew.”

“What went wrong?”

“The family whose shop we were using… They came home early. A couple with a young boy. Our boss wanted to kill them outright but I managed to persuade him to hold off. Or I thought I had. He had Dumb Dave slit the throats of the parents and kept the boy close so he could taunt him about them.”

“Earp—”

“Don’t say it wasn’t my fault!” Wynonna hissed out, silencing Nicole with a hard look. “I should have seen it coming and just killed that bastard first. I should never have come up with the plan in the first place! I should never have left Purgatory and joined up with those assholes… I should never have left Waverly…”

“What did you do?”

“Gave Dave the wrong instructions for the bomb and got the word out to the cops in time for them to show up and arrest who was left. And until they got there I kept that poor boy safe. I rolled on the gang as much as I could so the boy didn’t have to give evidence against them and the FBI protected me so the Banditos wouldn’t come after me in case they needed me again.”

“The rest of the ones you were with?”

“Most of them died in the blast. The others… let’s just say that the Banditos prefer it when their members rot in the ground and not in prison where they might talk. Escaping how they think I did… It kind of made me a cult figure in their eyes that I managed to survive the explosion and evaded the cops. The FBI built the story up and kept the case open as protection and they left me alone.”

“Being pack leader probably helps with that too.”

“Believe me, if I thought it would put any of them in danger I would leave and draw the Banditos away.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute, Earp. I just mean that now, if they do look this way, they will just find teeth and claws at their throats. Everyone in the pack, in Purgatory, knows you would go to the mat for them and well… Protection goes both ways.”

Wynonna felt warm and tingly at Nicole’s words but well, she wasn’t who she was if that didn’t just give her the urge to tease Nicole back to brush aside the warm and fuzzies. “Now, you sound like a combination of a walking bumper sticker _and_ a condom advertisement.”

“Eww!”

“Dental dam?” Wynonna smirked at the distressed look on Nicole’s face.

“You can shut up now,” Nicole grumbled out. “Really, shush!” she gritted out by Wynonna’s ear as she slapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a tree and branches cracked ahead and two of the gang stumbled into view,

Wynonna huffed, her eyes rolling above Nicole’s restraining hand. As soon as the men, and she used the term very loosely, but as they were moved out of sight and Nicole’s hand stayed where it was, Wynonna got her tongue good and wet and swiped it in a hot, wet line across Nicole’s palm. With a look of disgust, Nicole shook her hand and wiped it down her pants leg.

It was on the tip of Wynonna’s tongue; no pun intended to make a crack about her not acting like that when Waverly licked her but, thankfully for her own peace of mind, she realised what she was about to say and the fuel it would give Nicole to torment her, and bit it back.

“I don’t know what that look was for… and I don’t want to know,” Nicole warned with a wag of her finger. Grimacing at the lingering wetness, she wiped it off against her pants once more for good measure as they looked around to see if the way had cleared enough.

“Fair enough,” Wynonna chuckled. “Geez, I wish these dipshits would give up and go home already!” she huffed through gritted teeth as a movement had them stilling once more and adjusting their path.

“Yeah, would be nice. We do need them to stay out here while we make our escape though.”

The sudden flash of motion caught Nicole’s eyes as she turned. The glint of metal coming almost too late to do anything other than watch with wide eyes the almost slow motion, elegant arc of the axe aimed at their heads as it passed between them. With a solid THUNK, it slammed into the tree between them and sprayed their faces with slithers of bark and damp moss, and filled their noses with the scent of sap and damaged wood.

Wynonna’s eyes followed the long, curved line of the axe handle as it quivered back and forth slightly and met with Nicole’s over the top of it. She felt locked in place; the shock of her narrow escape because of the weight of Nicole’s hand planted against her chest to push her out of the way just enough, falling away to wonder and something visceral that felt almost like dread or fear, as pure, undiluted anger overtook the usual warmth of Nicole’s brown eyes and turned them into pools of darkness.

Even with their right hands chained, Nicole’s aim was unerringly accurate as she gripped the still juddering axe with her left hand. The muscles of her forearm tightened as she pulled and hurled the axe back at their attacker in one fluid movement that was powerful, beautiful, and kind of damn scary to see.

There was a high-pitched scream that was actually pretty comical given the size of the man as the axe he had thrown dug into the tree mere inches from his head, so deeply that it was all but lost from view and Wynonna wasn’t even sure she would be able to pull it out and she could flip cars!

Her bark of laughter as he pissed his pants at his close call was obviously not appreciated. With a roar of anger, he rumbled towards them with all the grace of a walrus and looking twice as ugly. His meaty hands fumbled for something hidden in the back of his faded jeans that Wynonna really didn’t want to take a sniff above the scent of urine and sweat to see, but she was hoping he was going for a gun or knife, and not poop to throw.

Pulling on the cuff, Wynonna spun Nicole to face her which put her back to the advancing walrus.

“Earp?” Nicole frowned in confusion, watching the tiny reflection of the man in Wynonna’s blue eyes as he loomed closer.

Giving her best ‘trust me’ face, Wynonna grasped Nicole’s forearm and hoped that Nicole would be on the same page or it was going to go horribly wrong and downright embarrassing. “You be Scott—”

“You be Tessa.”

Nicole’s smirk as she grabbed her forearm really should have prepared her but Wynonna was too busy patting herself on the back for coming up with the idea and then she was flying as Nicole leaned back and spun on the spot, pulling her off her feet and using her as a weapon.

There was a satisfying crunch as her boot met with his jaw and then Wynonna was back on her feet at the end of Nicole’s turn just in time to see his body crashing into a boneless, moaning heap at the base of a tree.

“We make a pretty good team!” Nicole grinned.

“Yeah, our chemistry is solid!” Wynonna smiled back smugly as she gave Nicole’s shoulder a friendly shove. “Whoa there!” Wrapping her fist in Nicole’s jacket, she managed to stop the sudden drunken sway that could have taken them both down.

“Come on, we really need to skip-the-doodle out of here.” She pursed her lips as the booze seemed to pick that moment to crash into her hard again and drawled her words and thoughts into a spiral that matched the dizziness from spinning Wynonna.

“No arguments from me,” Wynonna tugged her friend along in the opposite direction of the shouts and sounds of weapons cocking that their brief battle with the screamer had drawn towards them. “Hey, good aim back there with the axe, Haughty.”

“Naw. Not really,” Nicole huffed in disappointment. “I was going for his legs!”

**********

Waverly paced around the living room, her eyes fixed upon the screen of her phone, willing it to come to life with a notification from Nicole or Wynonna as she stepped over the long, sprawled out limbs of Doc and Uncle Curtis that jutted out into the room, and the more neatly tucked in ones of Mama, Aunt Gus and Valdez.

Even though she was worried, Waverly hadn’t wanted to cause a fuss but as soon as she had called Doc and Xavier word had quickly spread to questions at the station that had revealed that Wynonna’s truck was gone along with both women… but not Nicole’s badge, weapon or phone.

Nicole would never leave her phone behind without letting her know first, and if she was on duty she was too squared away to be separated from the tools of her job unless something had happened, or forced her, not to take them. Neither option was good.

“I just got word from the Village,” Xavier grumbled as he stepped back into the room. “Alexandria has still got everyone she can spare out looking but she says that Clarke isn’t getting anything from the trees around them.”

“And she has gotten more sensitive to the forest and what takes shelter beneath them so I am inclined to think that Wynonna and Nicole did not head anywhere to the north of Purgatory or anywhere within her range.”

“That still leaves a lot that Clarke can’t see though, Doc,” Xavier pointed out. Even if they set every available resource they could call on to help; and they would if they hadn’t been in touch by morning, there was just far more ground to cover than they could manage.

“It is a start, Xavier.”

“Maybe- maybe they just went to get a pizza or something?” Waverly chewed her lip nervously and fought down the waves of nervousness that set her feet pacing again.

“While that is behaviour I could well believe of Wynonna,” which was unfortunately true. Wynonna was getting better now she was settled into the role as pack Alpha and even more so with the mantle of mother on her shoulders but she was wild at heart and tended to react without thinking more often than they would like. “That it is not Nicole’s way though.”

“No, it’s not,” Waverly smiled softly. For being a lone wolf her whole life and apparently settled into that role, Nicole was the most fiercely loyal and protective of the extended family of their pack and doubly so when it came to their children and herself. Waverly didn’t want her to have to prove it literally, but she was certain that Nicole would fight her way through hell and take on actual gods to keep them safe.

“And, Baby girl, if you truly believed in your heart that they were okay, you would not have called for help and you would not be trying to wear a groove into the rug and down through the foundations.” Even though he knew full well that Waverly would soon return to her restless pacing, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her down onto the couch to sit between Michelle and Gus so that they might try to console her and ground her.

“I can just ‘feel’ that something is wrong. Aren’t you getting the same from Wynonna?” Waverly looked between Doc and Xavier hopefully.

“Now, darlin’, I think we both wish we could say that we could feel Wynonna as well as you could feel Nicole but—”

“I think I still can… Feel Nicole.” Waverly looked up, meeting the confused and yet hopeful expressions of everyone in the room. “Earlier, I swear I could feel her and smell trees and gun smoke—”

“Are you sure you were not simply imagining it, Waverly?”

“Why would I imagine something like that?” she frowned. “I heard the blast of a rifle or shotgun, Doc. I didn’t imagine that. And it was so real and so close I thought the girls were in danger. It scared the hell out of me!”

“Is- Has there been anything since then?” Xavier questioned cautiously.

“Not enough to tell where they are but… yes. Small flashes of feelings and scents.”

As Waverly settled into the warmth of her mothers and aunt’s embrace and Valdez’s watchful gaze, Doc led Xavier outside. They were in no way out of earshot but at least they had the illusion of privacy.

Cupping his hands around Xavier’s, he bent his head and lit the cigarette he’d put into his mouth almost out of habit upon the flickering flame of the lighter he kept handy for just such an occasion. Drawing the acrid smoke into his lungs he breathed it out and watched the white smoke dissipate as Xavier flicked his Zippo lighter shut with a flick of his wrist that sounded out sharply in the stillness of the night.

“Nicole’s wolf is gone, Xavier. I do not doubt her but… How is Waverly still getting anything?”

Xavier shifted his hip against the porch rail, manoeuvring himself so he could keep an eye on Doc and the land around them. “Are we even sure what happened? What the angels did to Nicole?”

“They took her wolf!” Doc growled out darkly at the thought of what had been done to her and what he wanted to do to them in return.

“Then maybe being soul mates trumps that in some way and gives Waverly and Nicole a connection the angels didn’t take into account? Or, maybe her wolf isn’t so lost after all? That’s all just speculation and very small comfort when she can’t change.” His jaw worked at the thought.

“Nicole was born a wolf. They can’t erase that or all her experiences as a wolf.” Sighing, he taped the palm of his hand against the porch rail in a restless rhythm. “There is just so much still unknown, Doc. I wish we had the answers but right now, we’re on hold with getting them and fixing what was done until they get home.”

All the not knowing was frustrating him- all of them- no end. And he knew he was avoiding the frustration by distancing himself from it by working on other cases… On things he could do. But it was the only way he could cope until there was information he could sink his teeth into.

“I hope that they return soon,” Doc sighed as he looked through the kitchen window into the brightness of the warm, inviting house beyond, and watched Waverly pacing once more, her body looking small and fragile as she wrapped her arms around her waist and hunched around them like she was holding onto the pain in her soul.

And maybe she was.

“Me too, Doc. Me too.” Placing his hand on Doc’s shoulder, Xavier looked up at the almost full moon still visible even in the brightening sky and wondered if Wynonna was looking up at it too.

**********

Wynonna dragged her eyes from the silvery disk hanging above them. She could feel the energy from its fullness pulsing through her, making her itch within her own skin for the ability to change and run in her two-legged form when the moon was at its fullest.

Nicole’s eyes were still locked on the moon above them, a wistful look on her face and a sad sigh filling the air as it broke over her lips.

“It’s going to be- strange, not having you running with us this time.”

“Really? I was thinking how peaceful it would be.” Nicole tried a cheeky smile but she could see by Wynonna’s glance and the fact that she didn’t rise to the bait, that she wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “Yeah, I’m going to miss it too,” she sighed sadly. “Kind of crazy—”

“What? How much you love me?”

Nicole rolled her eyes and nudged Wynonna with her shoulder. “And you say I’m sappy? But yeah, I do kind of love you… even when you get me drunk and drag me on a wild ride that might just get us killed. But… I was thinking how crazy it is that much of the time when I was growing up I would look up at the moon and wish more than anything that I could be ‘normal’. That I wouldn’t feel that need to change that was so overwhelming. That I wouldn’t have to spend my life running away from people. And now I’ve got that. I’m normal.”

“And?”

“It’s the absolute worst!” Nicole shook her head, a wry smile curving her lips. “I’ve got a home… in a place called, Purgatory, of all things. I’ve got a family in all of you. I’ve got a mate and four beautiful daughters that I love more than anything,” she could feel the soft smile on her lips and the bloom of love flowing through her in a wave that was almost overwhelming in its intensity. “But—”

“You want your wolf too.”

“Yes. I think I could be perfectly happy and content if I never get it back. But… fuck! I miss it so much!”

“We’ll get it back, Nicole. We’ll find a way.”

“Right now I would be happy if we could find a way to get by these assholes and get out of here,” she nodded toward the men spread out in a line that blocked their way back to the saloon.

“Afraid that’s not going to happen!”

“Well, shit!” Wynonna grumbled. Spinning on her heel she turned to face the man that had sneaked up behind them. “Hi, Rolf! Geez, what happened to you?” She asked with mock concern as she took in his ripped and torn clothing. Granted, his clothes hadn’t looked much better than that before but now they were dripping with mud and his face was covered with what looked like a million sting marks. “Rolfy, did you disturb a wasp nest with your face?”

“His face kind of disturbs me too,” Nicole muttered snarkily as they edged backwards away from him. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see that the others had started towards them at an unhurried pace… But maybe they’d seen his face and wondered just what the hell was heading their way and in were no hurry to find out.

Nicole looked to Wynonna. Their eyes met and locked, understanding passing unspoken between them as they looked at Rolf. Rolf who was hurting, alone and not paying as much attention to them as he should have been… Which was kind of insulting really that he could dismiss a badass Werewolf Alpha and a Sheriff like that!

They charged with a roar that caught Rolf off-guard and had him freezing in the perfect position to be taken off his feet to be sent tumbling head over heels, or arse over tit, as Nicole heard Wynonna chuckle as the chain between them caught him under the chin and sent him flying. His coughs and splutters as they disappeared into the trees once more, were so loud that not even the shouts and gunshots from the others were enough to drown him out.

“At this rate, it would be quicker to run back to Purgatory,” Wynonna growled.

“Nope, nearly there,” Nicole smirked with more confidence than she probably should have been feeling as she guided their path to sweep them back around and away from their not as healthy and a bit more subdued pursuers now that two of their number had been hurt at their hands.

They raced through the trees, their attention more of their pursuers than it was what lay ahead. A mistake they didn’t realise until they hit something large and dark that sent them sprawling to the ground.

“What the fuck!”

They stared up through the dim light, trying to make sense of the large figure looming over them. He was tall! Easily seven foot tall with a huge shaggy beard that covered most of his face apart from a ragged ‘T’ shaped scar that seemed to be etched deeply into his flesh, bisecting his right eye and rendering it a solid white that glared down at them.

Thick, dark brown spittle drooled from his mouth like rivulets of mud that spilt into the dirty, tangled ends of his beard that came almost to the middle of a barrel chest that was covered by a thick, dark-grey, woollen coat that ended just above the folded over tops of his black gumboots.

His head was covered by a strangely shaped, dark burgundy hat that, at first glance, made Nicole wonder if he hadn’t been sucked through a portal from the middle of an ancient sailing vessel… or he was bizarrely cosplaying Bootstrap Bill from the Pirates of The Caribbean movies in the middle of nowhere!

Cosplaying didn’t explain the lethal looking weapon in his hands that was either an insanely huge pair of scissors with blades almost three foot long or they were ancient gardening shears. Either way, they sounded sharp and menacing as he snapped them open and closed so they made a wet sounding SNICK! SNICK! SNICK!

He took a lumbering step towards them that in the dim light looked like he was having to pull his feet from the ground. It was enough for them to find their feet and start running blindly back the way they had come.

“Where were they hiding that fucker?!” Wynonna shouted out accusingly. “Aww, fuck!” she grunted out as Rolf appeared out of nowhere and jammed his knee into her gut, doubling her over. He moved far too quickly for someone that should have still been reeling after fling A over T and pulled them backwards, their heads jammed under the arms he had wrapped around their throats.

It was more uncomfortable than it hurt but the chain keeping them attached hindered their movements almost as much as the way their spines were arched backwards to the point that they were scrambling desperately as they saw the dirt-encrusted giant with the scissors getting closer and closer.

Before Wynonna could cut off Rolf’s monologue, a pair of scissors that drove straight through his spine and out through the front of his body did it for her.

The wet sound they made as they were pulled back and allowed Rolf’s body to fall limply to the ground at their feet was something Nicole knew would linger in her dreams for a long time… Assuming they weren’t next!

He snarled something at them that sounded a bit like words jumbled with a rolling avalanche sound that had them clasping their hands over their ears. The only word that seemed to make any kind of sense to Nicole was something that sounded like ‘wife’.

“Is this better or worse?”

“Let’s just assume worse.”

“Okay!” Of all the plans Wynonna had come up with that night, Nicole decided that assuming the worst was probably her best. Followed by barrelling right through the members of the gang that stood in their way with gruff faces twisted into looks of shock and horror as they stared at the giant that had just eviscerated their leader.

They finally, after what felt like years on that strange night, skidded back onto the rough strip of the parking lot that ran behind the abandoned looking Smugglers Saloon. Nicole tugged Wynonna along as she gave an appreciative purr at the sight of the bikes all lined up there.

“No, Earp, I am not riding pillion!”

“You could hold on to me instead of the sissy bar?”

“I have no desire to be cut in half by Stabby McStabberton back there just so you can look cool!”

“At least you admit that I would look cool!” Wynonna smirked… until a gravelly roar closing in from behind them quicker than she would have liked shook through her body with a violent reminder that they really should get moving.

Rounding the edge of the saloon, they almost ran straight into Keith but with a swift, punishing kick from Nicole, they ran over him instead. But more were waiting, blocking their way to Nicole’s precious cruiser and her truck that was parked even further away.

“Van,” Nicole gestured urgently even as she tugged on the cuffs, pulling Wynonna towards the one parked nearest to them. Shouts rang out around them as they slipped inside but, thankfully for them at least, it was because of the appearance of the giant around the edge of the building.

“Jesus!” Wynonna flattened herself down behind the wheel as shots and screams rang out, merging with that gravelly roar to fill the air. Fingers shaking, she scrambled for the ignition only to realise that the idiots had done them a favour and left the keys in it. “Bless their stupid hearts!” she smirked as she twisted it and the engine coughed to life.

“Less quipping, more driving!” Nicole urged as the window at her side blew inwards.

Nicole’s last sight of the saloon as the van shuddered and built up a head of speed made the part of her that wanted to protect and had sworn an oath to do so feel guilty even though she knew that the ones that needed protecting, was them. Even though the giant had saved them, he had killed Rolf and was doing a pretty good job of slicing his way through the rest of the gang even though they were shooting at him point blank.

Only when the last had fallen did he succumb to his wounds. And then, as his body stilled and turned into dust that lingered in sunlight breaking over the roof of the saloon and drifted away on the breeze.

“That’s some Thanos level shit right there,” Wynonna muttered under her breath.

“Just drive,” Nicole urged her. There was no way of knowing if there weren’t some of the gang still waiting around to take a potshot at them. And while the giant looked to be turned to dirt and gone… there was no way of knowing if it wasn’t just something he did and he wasn’t going to pop up somewhere along the road. Wynonna’s eyes met hers, the look in them mirroring her own concerns about him. The van lurched forward under the stomp of her foot against the accelerator that didn’t let up even when several miles had passed beneath the wheels of the van.

The whoop of sirens should have been comforting to Nicole, but right then the only thing that would have been of comfort upon the road would have been the sight of the ridiculous and almost creepy signs on the edge of Purgatory that were the often the victim of drunken target practice.

“Typical!” Wynonna groaned as she pulled the van over at the side of the road. “Where in the hell were these assholes while we were being chased around all night!?”

“Oh, probably investigating the theft of the weapons and god knows what else, that is still in the back of this van,” Nicole gritted out, gesturing behind her to where one of the crates had rolled and popped open, spilling a sickening amount of assault rifles over the bed of the van.

“Jesus! They hadn’t unloaded? Those assholes were sloppy!”

“Just play it cool for once Earp” Nicole begged her. “I didn’t see the gang get your badge so just flash it and we can get it all sorted out and get home.”

“Yeah. About that.” Wynonna edged away from the dangerous look in Nicole’s eyes.

“Earp!”

“Would that happen to be the Earp wanted in the Bleaker case?”

“Finally!” Wynonna crowed as she looked over her shoulder at the fresh-faced cop looking at them through the window with eyes that grew wider and wider as he took in the state of them, the handcuffs, and the cache of weapons strewn about. “Someone actually remembers me!”

Groaning, Nicole buried her face in her hands as the cop fumbled for his weapon and barked at them to...

“FREEZE DIRTBAGS!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****
> 
> **AN** \- I think a couple of chapters back when Nicole was talking with Nedley and the craziness of the street naming came up I might have forgotten to mention that that all came about because of a post on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nedleysoffice/status/1109532539063095297) from Nedley's Office, so shout to them and whoever was in charge of putting the names on the prop map for getting my mind running away with itself :p


	24. Chapter 24

Waverly stared blindly out of the window beside her head, her eyes barely even registering the trails of rain as they streaked across the window, pushed by the speed of the car, or the splash of water as it was kicked up by the tyres to be sprayed across the road in their wake.

The landscape beyond the glass was barren and jarring compared to their land as the beautiful, jagged thrust of mountains covered as high as nature would allow it by thick swathes of towering trees in every conceivable shade of greens that was home to all manner of birds and animals, was replaced by a veritable desert of, at best, gently rolling meadows and barren land that welcomed nothing but the fat cattle that grazed upon it.

It was not the place for a Wolf or anything wild and free to flourish and test itself.

“Why were they our here, Doc?” Waverly looked at him, his usual calm demeanour doing little to soothe her as she waved a hand around to encompass everything outside of Charlene… which right then was a whole hell of not of a lot other than some sad looking trees. “I mean… I’m sure it’s _lovely_ really.”

Doc chuckled around the edges of the unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth as Waverly’s mouth twisted into a grimace of distaste that not even the nicest person in Purgatory, with the sash to prove it an’ all, could disguise.

“Waverly, baby girl, it is positively awful,” he drawled. Clasping the cigarette between two fingers, he removed it from between his lips and used the motion to gesture towards the rundown saloon set a ways back from the road surrounded by what looked to be every police and emergency vehicle in the area and a shit load of striped police tape cordoning off the sparse clusters of trees for quite a way around it. “Case in point.”

“Oh god, that’s going to be something to do with them, isn’t it?”

“Now, darlin’, we won’t know anything for sure until we get to the station and our good Mayor and Xavier sort this mess out. But yeah, I have little doubt,” he relented at Waverly’s unladylike snort.

Pressing down on the gas, Doc allowed himself a smile as Charlene gave only a slight protest before surging to catch up to Xavier’s SUV and got them out of sight of the saloon and the worrying number of stretchers and coroner’s vehicles. His eyes caught upon Xavier’s as his mate looked back through his mirrors and felt the wave of concern washing back at him.

“At least we know they’re safe now,” Waverly sighed as she hunkered down in her seat and tried to allow that thought to soothe her. Unfortunately, while it soothed one part of her, the fact that they were physically okay allowed her anger and frustration to surge. Especially when Nedley had turned up on their doorstep after being contacted by what he had described as ‘some kid’ about their cruiser being found in Sweet Grass but it was now a part of an investigation that included… multiple murders, gun smuggling, theft, and drugs. That had led to the arrest of two women, one of whom was impersonating an officer and the other who was wanted by the FBI!!!

With the way Waverly was growling and grinding her teeth, Doc was not at all sure that ‘safe’ was a word he would use to describe Wynonna and Nicole once the young woman at his side got a hold of them. In all likelihood, they would be begging to be locked up away from her until she had had the chance to cool down. Given the Earp ability to hold a grudge when the mood struck them that could take a while.

“If you could give them the chance to speak and get home before you kill them, that would be appreciated as it would save on the paperwork.”

“I’m not going to kill them, Doc… Torture endlessly… Now that I could go for,” she grinned as he released a rough chuckle that broke the tension running through her. “Aw hell, you know me, Doc, I’ll just scowl at them for a while.”

“Believe me, Waverly,” he gently patted her hand. “To see disappointment in the eyes of the ones we love, that is more than enough. And you are very much loved.”

Waverly swallowed hard past the upsurge of love that his soft tone and the love in his blue eyes caused. “And you are just way too smooth for your own good, Doc Holliday,” she teased gently in an effort to lighten the mood.

“I had to be just to get Wynonna to give me a second glance,” he winked, knowing full well what she was doing.

“Well, you ended up with Wynonna and Xavier so I think you could stand to rein that charm in just a little.”

“I will consider retiring a small portion of my charm when it works enough to calm your young ‘uns to where they do not try to swipe my moustache off my face.”

“Or you could just shave it off. Jaw like that… always thought it was a shame to distract from it with that sweeping brush,” she teased, patting his square jawline.

“Sweeping brush?” he carefully brushed his fingers over his much-malingered pride and joy and levelled Waverly with a pout. “You used to be my favourite, Waverly Earp.”

“Used to be?” Gasping loudly, Waverly clutched a pretend string of pearls to her chest in mock horror at his words, her actions causing his moustache to almost fly from his face as his lips twitched violently and failed to hold back his humour.

Their laughter and banter faded away as the small town of Sweet Grass came into view.

“God, and I thought the landscape was bleak,” Waverly muttered as they drove down a road with a hodgepodge of buildings scattered up and down the length of it that actually managed to make the fields on the way in look like paradise.

“Border towns such as this tend to be like this,” Doc explained as his eyes raked over the sad state of the place. “Even though they are crossing points they are essentially no man's land with the laws of two countries coming together right in the middle.” He sucked on his teeth as their passing caught the eye of several black-garbed border patrol officials and he saw the challenge on their faces.

“Doc, I think we’re up to our quota when it comes to family in jail, so quit looking at the nice men like you’re about to challenge them to a gunfight at high noon,” Waverly hissed out of the corner of her mouth as the air around the car seemed to grow heavy with distrust pouring from them.

Waverly guessed it came with their jobs and that they just assumed that everyone was trying to smuggle something from one country into the other. But it didn’t make for a nice environment and made how Purgatory had been at the height of Bobo’s stranglehold on the packs and the town seem like a walk in the park in comparison. Hell, even the twisted memories still floating around the edge of her memory of when the Marzaniok had put a spell on Purgatory had been more pleasant.

Ungritting his teeth, Doc removed the mangled remains of his cigarette and focussed on the road ahead.

“Why do you even do that anyway?” she made a gesture to imitate the cigarette as he looked at her in confusion. “It’s not like you smoke them or anything.”

“I used to when I was younger. A terrible habit that I gave up long before you knew me. I find even now though that just the presence of them calms me somewhat in times of stress. I tried just chewing on the end of a pencil or pen instead but pencils lead to splinters and…”

“And? Come on, you can’t blush like that and not say. I’ll ask Wynonna,” she threatened.

“I bit through the pen one night while finishing off a mightily frustrating crossword puzzle in bed,” he admitted. “Got ink all in my moustache and well… it was not noticed until morning that Wynonna was wearing a god awful amount of it herself.”

“I can’t remember Wynonna being— oh!!— Ohhhhh! She? You?” Blushing herself, Waverly gestured generally all over her body.

“Yes. Exactly,” Doc moaned. “You saw none on Wynonna’s face because her face was not where my lips strayed often that night. Xavier was similarly covered,” he admitted, figuring rightly that if she brought it up to Wynonna, his mate would let everything spill anyway, “but the colour of his skin and a turtleneck sweater aided him in hiding what would have shown the next day.”

Waverly thought back and remembered the one time she could remember Xavier turning up at Shorty’s wearing a turtleneck and a sheepish look on his face. If she remembered too, that was the day that Wynonna had suddenly decided to wear a flowery scarf like a silver screen movie starlet. It hadn’t exactly gone with her leather jacket but Champ had turned up being a douche and she’d never gotten round to questioning their unusual clothing choices… At least, not then.

“You are plotting, Ms Earp, I can hear the cogs turning sneakily in that head of yours.”

“Reminiscing to take my mind off our mates and this god awful place they found to get into trouble,” Waverly corrected him. “Just look at that building! It’s got all the character of a cinder-block! Oh…”

It was the police station, or what passed for one there. A small, ugly, grey cube of concrete… actually, a description that matched most of the buildings in Sweet Grass but at least some of the others had made an attempt to add some warmth and the occasional plant. The police station, not so much. In fact. Not at all.

Waverly hated to be the kind of person to compare people or even places but Sweet Grass was making it very difficult not to. The buildings in Purgatory looked pretty much as they had back in Wyatt Earp’s day, some were still even owned and run by descendants of the first settlers there. It was old with words like ‘quaint’ being thrown around by the occasional tourist stopping by to ‘drink where Wyatt Earp did’.

Waverly had grown to hate that description and often the town itself when she was little when her ties to the land and her name had become more of a curse. Expectations to succeed, fail at life, or go down in a blaze of insanity like Wynonna, had dogged her every step. It was home though. Its people were her family.

Of course, a good part of that family was currently languishing in the ugly concrete cube!

“It’ll be okay, baby girl,” Doc quietly assured Waverly, his hand finding hers for a reassuring squeeze as he drew Charlene to a halt beside Xavier’s much fancier SUV. She squeezed back, the faint tremble leaving her fingers as her jaw set determinedly.

Waverly climbed out of Doc’s car, her feet already set upon the path that would lead into the depressing grey box until she found her way blocked by the gentle but authoritative figure that was Randy Nedley. His hands settled gently upon her shoulders and even though she could have shrugged him off easily, she stilled and waited for him to speak.

“Waverly, it might be best if Dolls and I go in first… Just to smooth the way with the locals and get them out as fast as possible.”

Waverly looked from his calm almost apologetic gaze to Xavier. She could tell that he was of the same mind but…

“I’m going in with you.”

“Okay. Yeah, didn’t think that would work,” he admitted with a soft smile as he gazed at her fondly. “Just—”

“I promise to leave any beatings until we get home.”

“Atta girl!” he winked. “One thing though… I need all of you to try and stay calm. They have had a heap of trouble here lately and are on edge but those border patrol guys are definitely not very Werewolf friendly.”

“If they’ve hurt—”

“I was assured that it was a cop that pulled them over and ‘detained’ them. They should be fine. And if they’re not they won’t have to worry about you, they’ll have Randy Nedley to deal with,” he stated determinedly.

Waverly hung back a couple of steps behind Xavier and Nedley, her shoulder brushing against the comforting, steadying warmth of Doc’s body as they made their way into the station. She could feel the eyes watching their every step and was sorely tempted to spin around and go ‘BOO!’ at the border agents watching them.

Inside, the station was quiet and just as dismal as the outside. The plain walls were covered in a variety of wanted posters that were almost hidden beneath the posters warning of the threats posed by smugglers and illegal aliens crossing over the border. Even though they were still officially on the Canadian side of the border, Waverly couldn’t help but notice that most of the posters, the ones that used the strongest language, were ones that favoured protecting the American side and hinted in the vaguest terms they could get away with, that Werewolves weren’t welcome there.

“What do you—”

“Randy Nedley, Mayor of Purgatory and Deputy Marshall Dolls. We’re here to clean up your misunderstanding involving Sheriff Haught and Deputy Earp.”

Waverly smiled at the steel in Nedley’s voice as he stared down the officer in charge of the desk. Even poor sweet Lonnie, as inept at the paperwork as he had been, had been eager and caring about his job and the people he served. This guy looked like he didn’t care one little bit about anything.

“Now then—”

“Tom! Let them on through… Then go grab five… clean yourself up or something for god’s sake!”

“Sir?” Tom looked at his Sheriff in confusion.

“Just— Just go do what I said,” he huffed in exasperation as his officer continued to stand there making him look bad in front of visitors before he finally shrugged his shoulders and slouched off. “Come on through!”

“No offence, but I would rather go check up on my sister.” Straightening her shoulders, she glared him down as he turned to look at her with an up and down sweeping look that had her skin crawling. It killed her not to claim Nicole as hers the way she had so easily been able to Wynonna but… that could draw more attention than they already had and, even though it was technically illegal to discriminate against them for being Werewolves, it wasn’t unheard of, especially in services that had to deal with the public. “If that would be okay?” she added in a softer tone. Throwing in a flutter of eyelashes for good measure.

“Sure! I can’t see a problem with that, little lady,” puffing out his chest, he gestured towards the signs that pointed out the way to the holding cells.

“I will go with her,” Doc stated lowly, fixing the Sheriff with a narrow eyes glare as he positioned his body between Waverly’s retreating back and the other man’s lustful gaze. As he followed the staccato click of Waverly’s heels down the corridor, he could hear the grinding of Xavier and Nedley’s teeth and smell what he could only describe as a ‘dark’ scent from Xavier as he struggled to hold back on his anger at the Sheriff for the sake of Wynonna and Nicole’s freedom.

**********

Waverly shook her head, the last remnants of her anger fading away as she looked through the bars of the holding cell. Nicole and Wynonna were there, just as the Sheriff had said. But nothing could have prepared Waverly for the sight of them sprawled out together on the same hard, narrow bench that was bolted to the wall and floor.

Nicole was sprawled out on her back, her left leg and arm hanging off to touch the floor, her curled fingers twitching in her sleep like a puppy dreaming. Her right arm was flung across her eyes; no doubt in an effort to block out the harsh, flickering glow of the fluorescent strip light hanging above the cell to push back the darkness of the windowless room… and probably to torment and keep awake the people confined behind the thick bars.

Wynonna definitely had the more comfortable position, Waverly knew that for a fact as she had spent many hours in a similar one herself… lying on Nicole. Her only sign of discomfort coming from the soft snores coming from Nicole that had her brow twitching and creasing with each one.

A familiar, faux-mechanical shutter sound had Waverly’s eye darting to the side to catch the smirk on Doc’s face as he captured their snuggling for future blackmail purposes.

“Send me a copy?” she whispered so quietly it was barely audible over the sound of the flickering light let alone the much louder sounds of the station around them. Even so, Nicole stirred, her head tilting back slightly as she drew in a deep breath that lifted Wynonna as her chest expanded. A sweet, lazy smile curved her mouth as her breath shuddered from between her lips in a husky purr of her name.

“Waverly.”

It was entirely unfair that she could just lay there and melt her heart when Waverly wanted to be mad at her.

Nicole smiled as the soft scent of lavender filled her and pushed aside the smell of dirt and disinfectant. Warmth spread through her, suffusing every inch of her being as her eyes flickered lazily open to be greeted with the sight of her love standing there watching her, her body surrounded by a halo of light.

The slap of a hand landing across her face had Nicole’s brow creasing in confusion and awakened the dull throbbing in her head that tasted of booze and bad decisions.

Jolted out of her dreamlike state, everything came back to Nicole in a stomach-churning rush. Along with the discovery that, for some reason, Wynonna was lying on top of her… using her breasts as a pillow!

Nicole jolted in reflex and horror, pitching the Alpha using her as a bed off her body and on to the floor. The cuffs she had somehow managed to forget about yanked her off the narrow bench and right on top of Wynonna before she even realised what was happening.

“Jesus, Haught!” Grunting, Wynonna pushed and shoved at the woman lying on top of her. “You’ve got bony elbow!” she hissed as one dug into her ribs. Coming out from behind a curtain of her own hair as well as the fiery red of Nicole’s, she caught a glimpse of movement and tilted her head back to look through the bars. “Oh! Hi, sis! Doc!”

“Hi, sis? Is that all you’ve got to say for yourself?”

“I included Doc too,” Wynonna pointed out unwisely. Hoisting herself off the floor, she flopped down as gracefully as the metal bench would allow and elbowed Nicole sharply. “Quit makin’ gooey eyes at her!” she hissed loudly in an attempt to draw Waverly’s fiercely disapproving glower away from herself.

“I am so, so sorry, Waves!” Flinging herself across the narrow confines of the holding cell, Nicole hesitated a moment, her hands trembling above Waverly’s where they were wrapped around the bars before she dared touch them. They hadn’t been allowed to clean up after their arrest and she didn’t want to soil Waverly with anything she had been in contact with but… she couldn’t wait a moment longer to touch her.

“Save it, Nicole.” Softening any bite in her words, Waverly turned her hands within the soft embrace of Nicole’s and allowed their fingers to entwine and lock together. The familiar contact had a soft sigh leaving her and she could feel the vibration of a purr rumbling through the cage of Nicole’s chest as she pressed closer until her body was pressed against their clasped hands.

“Not that I don’t appreciate this show of love—”

“Shut up, Wynonna,” Waverly growled quietly, her eyes darting back towards the door as she heard the sound of boots heading past the cells from the opposite direction from which they had entered. “Xavier and Nedley are trying to get you out of here,” she assured them. “Until then, shut up.”

The soft nuzzle of lips against her hand drew her eyes back and her heart swelled as Nicole pressed her cheek into her palm and closed her eyes to savour the touch.

“I will watch the door,” Doc whispered. He stood quietly, a silent sentry to allow them their moment. He would get his chance with Wynonna later but right then he was needed where he was. He was capable of multitasking though and he found his gaze diverting occasionally to watch as Waverly filled Wynonna and Nicole in on what they knew about the kind of people they were dealing with, and all the while she kept a constant contact with Nicole with one hand clasped within Nicole’s and the other gently stroking and scratching through her hair so soothingly he was sure Nicole nearly nodded off at one point.

“Company,” he warned lowly, a growl curling his lips over his teeth as he took the scant amount of steps back to Waverly’s side as three burly, black-garbed men of the border patrol appeared in the doorway. Their need to ‘play nice’ to get Wynonna and Nicole out of the cell warred with the desire to strike first as they all menacingly stroked the shock-sticks and guns hanging from their utility belts. He could not smell silver but he was in no doubt that whatever was in their guns was designed to cause as much harm as possible.

The loud clearing of a throat had them stepping back, the anticipation on their faces turned to carefully neutral mask as they turned and walked away as though they hadn’t been caught about to attack them.

“I will be mightily glad when we are back home,” Doc hissed.

“Me too.”

“Good thing we brought the key with us then. Or at least, the man holding it.” Stepping aside, Nedley gestured sharply to the Sheriff to unlock the cell before he coldcocked him and took it from his hands. Protocol be damned! Having his fingers almost stripped to the bone again would be preferable to spending another moment in the hell hole that was Sweet Grass!

The moment the door was opened, Waverly reached inside and yanked Nicole and Wynonna straight into her arms for a hug despite Wynonna’s softly grumbled protests. Rooting her nose in between them, she searched out their scents beneath the layer of dirt, sweat and unfamiliar trees.

“I am going to kill you both when we get home,” she whispered in warning with a hint of a feral growl darkening her voice.

The Sheriff shifted nervously from foot to foot. There was not one person in that room that had threatened him directly but there was something there that made him feel like a small creature; soft and helpless amongst predators that could snap him in half with one bite of their sharp teeth.

“When can we have our cruiser back?”

“Hey, what about my truck?”

“Eh, I am afraid,” and boy was he ever, “that as they are both at an active crime scene that we will have to hold on to them. As soon as forensics are done with them, you could collect them— or they could be towed back to Purgatory! That would probably be best.” Especially as that meant he wouldn’t have to face them again.

“That sounds—”

“No!” Nicole winced as she cut Nedley off with a voice that was sharper than she intended and also too loud for her head to take. “Sorry, sir. If we can’t take the vehicles, I insist that we be allowed to take the dashcam and any footage on it. You know now that it was a stolen from Purgatory and that the perps are dead.” Not entirely true as the Banditos hadn’t been the actual thieves, but their Sheriff didn’t know that. “I take it that no one was actually killed inside the vehicle?”

“No, all on the outside,” he admitted. “But, why?”

“There was footage on the cam that relates to a time-sensitive case in Purgatory that involves both the PSD and Black Badge,” Nicole gave the others a quick look, silently asking for their backup.

“Yes,” Xavier added his voice to Nicole’s request, trusting that she would explain at some point. “I would rather not flash my badge around and demand when some interdepartmental cooperation—”

“Just… take it,” he interrupted. “You might want to hurry though. The, erm, well, the BP’s have been sniffing around all day and we have no control over them,” he whispered.

“Understood,” Xavier nodded. “And the vehicles themselves?”

“Will be well taken care of until their return. After that it is up to you and whatever else y’all might get into.” He shot the cuffs dangling between the women’s wrists a pointed look. “Oh yeah, you might need these.” Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he fished out a set of keys and tossed them over to the gruff faced agent. “Figured they might need letting out at some point so I called my neighbour who works at the warehouse and called in a favour.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.”

“Right,” Nedley drawled gruffly, drawing their attention to him after the Sheriff had left them alone. “Get those two out of those cuffs and then let’s get the hell out of here before I’m tempted to throw the pair of them back into that cell for being dumb idiots!”

Turning sharply on his heel with a huff, he left the holding area and paced the corridor outside the door.

“Jesus! I thought his moustache was going to pop off then,” Wynonna chucked as she rubbed the feeling back into her freed wrist and tried to get used to the fact that she didn’t have to stand quite so close to Haughtstuff anymore. “Ow!” she yelped, frowning at Nicole and Waverly who had both cuffed her around the back of the head at the same time.

**********

 Thanks to the aspirin and a large bottle of water that Waverly gave her, Nicole felt marginally more human and a thousand times more stupid and sorry for herself by the time they pulled into the still cordoned off parking lot of the Smugglers Saloon.

So that they could fill everyone in, they had split up between the vehicles. Wynonna went in the SUV with Nedley and Xavier, while she’d had the pleasure of Waverly pressed against her side in the back of Doc’s bright red car and the dubious pleasure of Doc’s inability to turn his wipers off until they were about to pull up.

“I swear you did that on purpose,” she growled as the squeal of rubber on glass finally stopped. He gave her a look that was the single worse attempt at innocence that Nicole had ever seen.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he smirked and gave Waverly a high-five as Nicole groaned and rubbed at her temples.

“I am never drinking with your sister again, Nicole groaned, her stomach churning anew at the heavy, metallic scent of blood that permeated the air.

“I believe you said something similar the last time.” Waverly pointed out as she rubbed the firm swell of Nicole’s flexing bicep in sympathy. “Erm,” spluttering slightly, she dropped her hand as Wynonna sauntered up and cocked her eyebrow at her. “I thought they would be done here by now!”

“There was a _lot_ to clean up, Waves.” Nicole grimaced as she looked around. She hoped that they had managed to get photos and evidence taken before the rain had swept through ‘cause right then there were no obvious steps been taken to keep anything dry.

“Yeah, probably body parts for miles with how that big bastard was slicing and dicing.”

Nicole smiled to the officers that were passing and paused to give Wynonna a look that said they were deciding if they shouldn’t just arrest her there and then.

“Earp, tip for ya. Try _not_ to sound like an excitable psychopath returning to the scene of their crime.”

“There’s no fun in that, but okay… Fair point.”

“You really think there will be something on the dashcam?”

“I hope so, Waves. If nothing else it should give us a look at the kids that stole it—”

“Stupid fratboys!”

“If we’re lucky we might get a look at whoever it was that hired them.”

“Haughty, we all know it was Bitchy Bun Bun.”

“We _think_ it was her. Without evidence, we _know_ nothing, Earp.”

“Another fair point. But for the record. If your little dashcam plan fails… I say we haul that poisonous hag out to the salt flats and bury her up to her neck in the ole white stuff. Pretty sure we would get a medal for service humanity or something. Maybe even score some sweet sashes of our own.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and ignored the wink and shoulder nudge Wynonna gave her. While she agreed that Bun Bun was the suburban version of the devil incarnate, it wasn’t a good idea to just do something like that… even if she did deserve it. And anyway, she wasn’t a witch so it wouldn’t hold her for long.

“Do you think the guy that— ya know,” she gestured around them. “Do you think he had something to do with her?”

“I don’t think so. If he did he put a serious dampener on her plans for Purgatory. Of course, they were planning on taking everything for themselves and maybe that got— What are you thinking about?” Nicole questioned at the fierce frown on Waverly’s face.

“I can’t place my finger on it but something about him has got all kinds of bells going off in my head.”

“What kind of bells?”

“I feel like I know him? Pretty sure I would remember someone nearly seven-foot-tall with a scar on their face.”

“To be fair, there _are_ some rough dudes in town Waves. Most of them are pack actually. They all know that Haughtsauce is off limits though.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dude was trying to get Haughty to be his wife,” Wynonna snorted.

“It only sounded like he said something about a wife, Earp!” Nicole shot Wynonna a glare. “And anyway, we were chained together, he could have been looking at _you_ when he said it… Did you think about that, huh?” she smirked as Wynonna’s eyes went a little wide.

“Wife?” Waverly wasn’t worried or jealous but she still moved closer to Nicole, her hand sliding into the familiar warmth of hers almost possessively.

“Yeah.” Nicole brushed her thumb across the back of Waverly’s knuckles soothingly as she rearranged the chaos that had been going on back then in her mind. “Everything was going to shit and he was waving these really huge scissors or shears around at the time but… it didn’t sound like he was speaking English at all, not really.”

“Speaking?” Wynonna snorted loudly. “His voice was like gravel trapped in a landslide. But yeah, he rumbled out something that sounded like wife a couple of times but for most of the time, he was all roaring and stabbing things… well, bikers… until the dude turned to dust. POOF!”

“Do you think he’s really gone?”

Nicole glanced around at the thought, her posture stiffening as she looked around for any potential threats.” He saved us but I think we got lucky and we’re only alive ‘cause we ran faster and got out of his way. So… I hope he’s not coming back.”

“Just in case, let’s get what you need out of the cruiser and get the hell out of here.”

With Xavier and his highly shined badge to back her up, Nicole made her way over to the officer obviously in charge of the scene; picking him out of the crowd by the fact that he was doing the least and looking smug about it. He flustered and postured a bit but finally let them have access after he contacted the station and got chewed out by the Sheriff.

With what she needed in hand, Nicole flopped back and made herself as comfortable as she could with the creaky, worn springs of the back seat of Charlene finding tender places to dig into. After the hard bench at the station, it felt like a feather bed, while the feel of Waverly’s fingers carding through her hair felt like heaven and had her drifting towards sleep.

She just hoped that the camera had caught enough to help them put a stop to whatever Bunny Loblaw schemes… or whoever was behind it all, she amended her own thoughts.

With the rough strains of Johnny Cash droning from the speakers and the rumble and road and engine acting as a background hum on the road back towards Purgatory, Waverly soothed herself with the familiar feel of Nicole beneath her touch as she spread out across the seat and curled up with her head upon her lap. The scent of booze still lingered along with the dirt, blood and gun smoke, and that worried her that Nicole felt the need to lose herself in it. But, beneath that, she could smell her and that was always soothing and gave her hope.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to Nicole’s temple, her answering purred murmur and wiggle as she settled even closer had her smiling softly as she looked out of the window and watched the barren meadows give way to the lush wilderness, forests and mountains they called home as the miles flew by.

**********

“I’m dropping you off at home, right?”

“Yeah, Mama’s—”

“Not for me Doc. I need to go to the station,” yawning, Nicole pushed herself reluctantly upright and stretched as best she could in the cramped space.

“Nicole!”

Nicole stilled her protests with a gentle smile. “I won’t be long,” she promised. “I need to pick up my car, grab a shower and collect a few things.”

“A shower at the station?” She frowned at Nicole’s nod. “You really think _that_ is important right now?”

“Yes. Because I really want to kiss you but, as ridiculous as it sounds, when I do I want no trace of any of all that on me and if I wait until I get home, or if you join me in the shower,” she headed off the suggestion as she saw the glint forming in Waverly’s eyes. “If that happens, there won’t be much cleaning going on.”

It was a nice sentiment, totally unnecessary, but still nice.

“I promise, I’ll be home not long after you get the kids back.”

“Okay… You better not be late either!” Her warning scowl was softened by a smile that was answered by a flash of dimples that bracketed Nicole’s smile. “Those are so not fair,” she grumbled, her fingertips dipping into dimples as she fought against the urge to just claim Nicole’s lips with her own and to hell with the shower.

**********

Nicole looked around carefully as Charlene bounced out of the parking lot, taking Waverly back home while Johnny Cash blaring depressingly out of the speakers. They really needed to work on expanding Doc’s taste in music.

Ducking in through the doors, she grabbed a spare uniform and locked the dashcam footage away in a filing cabinet drawer in her office until she was ready to look at it. It felt like she was being overly paranoid but with someone out there insane enough to sic a gang like the Banditos on Purgatory, Nicole wasn’t taking any chances.

She wasn’t sure why she was so adamant about her refusal to name Bunny Loblaw even in her own head. Maybe she just didn’t want to think that she was even more sick and twisted than her xenophobic, homophobic, and bigoted ways already suggested.

Spotting a lull in foot passage through the bullpen, Nicole made her way across and slipped in through the door into the Black Badge offices.

“Hey, Nicole!” Slipping his headphones off, Jeremy let them dangle around his neck as he turned the music down so it was hopefully a little less noticeable that he was listening to his favourite boybands playlist. “Wow, you look rough! Erm, I mean—”

“Naw, you’re right, Jer, I look rough,” grimacing wryly, Nicole waved off his blustering as she looked down at her dirt-encrusted uniform. She could only imagine what the rest of her looked like. “Mind if I make use of your showers?”

“On one condition… I mean, as long as you don’t mind! I mean, if you do mind you can still use the showers!” he blustered, nearly sending beakers and flasks flying off a nearby table in his panic.

“Calm down,” she begged, her head starting to pound anew with each rushed word tumbling from his mouth.

“Jeremy!” Clasping his narrow shoulders, Rosita turned him to face her. “We’ve talked about this. Breathe… There we go… All yours, Nicole.”

Nicole nodded slightly in thanks, the only motion her head would allow. “What is it you want?”

“A sample off your jacket! Sorry,” he whispered as she winced in obvious pain at his unintentioned volume.

“Looks like someone needs a cure for what ails them too.”

“Huh? There’s nothing wrong with me, Rosita… I just get a little nervous is all.”

“I’m not talking about you.” Rolling her eyes, Rosita turned her gaze to Nicole. “I’m talking about _you_. What did you have?”

With her job with Black Badge, which seemed to entail more Jeremy wrangling than Nicole thought it was safe to deal with, it was all too easy to forget that not only was Rosita genius level smart with the PhD’s to prove it, but she had once been a mixologist at Pussy Willows, and… she was also a Nymph with all the skills and abilities that came with it.

It was a strange set of skills but in times like that, it meant that not only was she capable of fixing a drink but she was good at fixing what they had done.

“Whiskey, vodka, tequila, chased by bikers with guns, a big dude with shears, and prolonged exposure to Wynonna.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll be able to fix you something to help with most of that… Everything but the Wynonna anyway.” Chuckling softly, she made her way towards the corner of the lab she had claimed for herself and banished Jeremy from touching anything there. “Two minutes.”

“I don’t deserve it. Mostly my own damned fault I’ve got this hangover… but thank you.”

“As long as you learned a lesson.”

“Yeah, don’t trust Wynonna.”

“Like any of us are going to learn that lesson,” Rosita chuckled over her shoulder.

“True. Anyway, why do you want a sample off my jacket, Jer?” Following the ‘gimme’ motioning of his hands, Nicole shrugged her shoulders out of her jacket and handed it over.

“See this stain right here?” he pointed at a specific brown stain amongst many others brown stains on the front of Nicole’s jacket. “Not sure why, but my Chetri-senses… Robin named them,” he smiled goofily at the thought of his maybe-boyfriend, clearing his throat as Nicole’s lips started to thin in exasperation. “Anyway! They’re telling me I need that stain.”

“I thought they only ran to finding— Jeremy! What the fuck!?” Nicole stared at him in disbelief, her alcohol dulled senses failing her in time to do anything other than watch as he whipped out a pair of scissors and cut the stain he wanted right out of her jacket, fabric and all, and held it up like a trophy he had won.

Rosita patted Nicole on the shoulder in sympathy as she gave a distressed whimper and flailed her arms at her ruined jacket. “Any reason you couldn’t just take a swab of that, Jeremy?”

“Oh! I- hmm, I didn’t think of that,” he admitted with a sheepish grin.

“Whoa there!” risking life and limb, Rosita placed herself between them as Nicole lunged for Jeremy with fingers flexing to wrap around his throat. “Drink!” she pressed a large beaker of smoking, swirling blue and red liquid into her hands while Jeremy made good his escape. “If it’s any consolation I don’t think any amount of washing would have saved your jacket.”

“It was a good jacket though,” Nicole mumbled as she lifted the beaker towards her mouth and took a tentative sip. “Oh, Jesus Christ! This is—”

“Awful I know,” Rosita smirked at Nicole coughed and spluttered, “but you need to drink it all for it to work.” Placing a finger on the bottom of the beaker she tipped it, forcing Nicole to drink it faster despite the smoke curling out of her nose. “Consider it part of the moderation in alcohol consumption learning process.”

**********

Waverly smiled into the softly scented curve of Mel’s neck as the sound of a familiar vehicle coming along the road reached her ears. It didn’t matter how many Nicole was unfortunate enough to get through, Waverly knew the sound of every single one just by the way Nicole drove. Ruffling Mel’s silky hair, she placed her down with her sisters amongst all the toys in the playpen and made her way outside.

She leaned against the edge of the door, watching as the SUV came to a smooth halt on the drive. She tried to fix a disapproving glower on her face… she was still kind of mad at Nicole and Wynonna for what they had gotten themselves into, but she just couldn’t hold on to it when she was just glad to have her home.

The sun glinted off her still damp hair as she slid out from behind the wheel, the ends of it curled around her jaw as she leaned back in and appeared again with a HUGE cream teddy bear wearing a rainbow coloured bowtie clasped before her, and an equally large amount of mylar balloons that sparkled, bobbed and danced on the ends of the strings clasped in her other hand.

“Nicole!?” she exclaimed in breathless wonder. She met Nicole halfway, her fingers skating through the plush softness of the bear's fur on the way to the perfect line of Nicole’s jaw. “What in the world?” She looked up at the balloons, a soft, wet chuckle bursting from her at the sight of one that said sorry and another in the shape of a unicorn with a rainbow horn.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t come home when I should have last night,” Nicole whispered. “I got too caught up in my own fears and I should have just told you the truth instead of thinking I could find the answer in a bottle of booze. I never want you to have to worry about anything like that, Waves.”

“I should have known better than to ask Wynonna to check on you though—”

“No, you are not going to take one ounce of blame for this, Waves. I’m a grown woman and I made the decision to drink with your sister knowing what it could do to me now. I don’t even blame Wynonna for anything that happened after that… though, don’t tell her that yet,” she winked. “Yeah, we got into some trouble as usual but she was sober and I knew she had my back. And we did end up stumbling on to some things but… I am so, so sorry that I caused you even one second of worry. I love you with all my heart and soul and I never want to do that to you ever again.”

Reaching out, she gently brushed a tear from Waverly’s cheek with the pad of her thumb. “Now, as I’m all clean now… would it be okay if I give you a—”

Curling her fists into the softness of Nicole’s shirt, Waverly yanked her down, teddy and all, and claimed the plump softness of her lips, and the throaty moan that spilt from between them, in a heated kiss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My intention when I started this chapter was to have the Sweet Grass cops be a little sweeter (no pun intended) and for Waverly to be a little more Grrr and huffy at Nicole but... I just couldn't do that to our girls. They're too soft for each other and I'm too soft for them <3


	25. Chapter 25

Waverly sighed longingly, her mind drifting back to that morning when her fingers had slid down the line of Nicole’s spine, her fingers tracing the sleep softened lines of muscles that were now bulging and glistening with sweat as she deftly spun the sword in her hand around to block a strike from the matching weapon in Alexandria’s hand.

Nicole’s grunt of satisfaction as she parried the blow hit Waverly low in the gut and had her shuffling her feet in an ultimately useless attempt to hold back the waves of desire that flooding her body that was still tender and aching from Nicole’s ministrations. Her mind easily conjured the similar sounds that had filled their room through the night and into the morning as she had etched her passion in red lines that still lingered upon pale golden skin beneath the cover of Nicole’s workout top.

Waverly bit her lip to still the instinctual urge to shout out a warning as Anya advanced on Nicole from behind. She knew that Nicole was perfectly capable even then of defending herself. Just as she knew that no real harm would come to anyone aside from bruises to egos and flesh, but that didn’t mean that Waverly was any more able to hold back a wince as Anya’s weapon raced towards Nicole’s unprotected back.

Waverly saw no sign that Nicole was even aware of the threat but in a move that stole her breath, she twisted agilely, her movements as smooth as silk as she seemed to flow around Anya’s weapon. Grabbing Anya’s wrist, she pulled her forward off balance and managed to twist her sword cleanly out of her hand. To add insult to injury, she put her foot to Anya’s ass and sent her sprawling, effectively taking her out of the game by the rules Alexandria had set in place before training had started.

“Yeah, baby!” Waverly whooped in joy at the move and the wickedly sensual smirk Nicole gave her as she and Alexandria circled around each other waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

They were both magnificent to watch, their bodies flowing in an intricate dance that was perfectly balanced so that it didn’t topple over the line and get dangerous. Their blades met over and over, the sharp sound of the forged metal ringing out across the training arena and seeping out into the village to build an even larger crowd of onlookers as it always seemed to when they met in the name of ‘training’.

They were drawn by their skill and to see their leader in a more relaxed almost jovial frame of mind. Waverly was there for that too, of course she was… but she would be lying if she didn’t admit that Nicole all hot, sweaty, with muscles bulging wasn’t a huge draw for her too.

“Ya know, not that I’m complaining about this type of training—”

“Strange. It sounds like you are about to complain,” Alexandria smirked.

Frowning at her friend’s interruption, Nicole blocked the probing, testing thrust of Alexandria’s blade and returned the motion as a rebuke. “As I was saying— I’m not sure I’m really going to able to make use of all this _fine_ sword training on the streets of Purgatory.” Grunting between words, she fought off a flurry of blows that came in response to her sarcasm.

If she wasn’t so busy defending herself with her two swords, Nicole was pretty sure she could find the time to be frustrated by Alexandria’s speed that had her feeling like she was fending off ten swords instead of the one that was actually in her hand!

Knowing full well that Nicole was only trying to distract her, Alexandria rolled her eyes mockingly. But… she couldn’t resist the chance to answer. It was a training session to test Nicole’s skills and reflexes without her Wolf after all. And if it gave her the chance to defend her favourite form of combat at the same time— Well that was even better.”

“One; you know full well that every form of training has its uses outside of its original one. For instance, what you learn here will help with speed and balance and will be of use if anyone attacks you with any other form of object being swung at your stubborn head.”

She nodded in satisfaction as Nicole ducked beneath Raven’s almost perfectly timed swipe of a broom handle as she steered her back towards the edge of the arena where Raven was consoling Anya and bolstering her bruised ego and ass.

“Hey!”

“You have to be prepared for attacks from anywhere at any time, Nicole. Two; if I am not mistaken, you and Wynonna were only the other day faced with an opponent that was armed with an edged weapon?”

“Well—”

“So it is not such an unusual occurrence.”

“That—”

“Three—” Slipping beneath Nicole’s guard, Alexandria wrapped an arm around Nicole’s throat from behind. Pulling back, she kept Nicole off balance despite her slight height advantage and pulled her around so that she could see Valdez showing off her formidable knife skills to Octavia and Lincoln. “There is a reason that our new friend still sticks with her weapon even now.”

“Old fashioned stubbornness?” Nicole grunted out, giving Alexandria a deliberate side glance to let her know she included her in that statement. Catching the appreciative glance Waverly was giving her abs, Nicole gave her a wink as her eyes drifted up.

“Four!” Tightening her hold, Alexandria cut off Nicole’s flirting and leaned closer to speak directly into her ear. “You are only trying to delay the bout because you can’t find a way to beat me.”

“Five,” Nicole panted out. “Was just getting you into position,” she whispered quietly.

“What was—” Alexandria’s query was abruptly cut off with an ‘oof’ as Nicole twisted within her arms and flipped her and her back met with the hard ground before she could barely even register that she was moving.

Her eyes following the line of the sword from the tip resting against the hollow of her throat, up to Nicole’s gently smiling eyes as they looked down at her from where she was standing over her prone body.

“Yield?”

“Rematch?”

“Nope!” Waverly shouted out before they could rush back into combat. “No rematches! Not today. We’ve got to look over that footage with the others soon!”

Seizing the moment as Nicole instinctively turned to look at Waverly, Alexandria swept Nicole’s legs out from under her, toppling her onto her back beside her in the dirt. Grabbing her sword, she rolled over until she was straddled Nicole’s body, the tip of her sword pressed into the dirt, the edge of it leaning against the pulse thudding strongly, visibly, beneath pale skin. She arched a brow as Nicole’s body gave a subtle squirm, testing her position and control which Alexandria adjusted only slightly, just enough to let Nicole know she was on to her.

“Rule?”

“The bout isn’t over until someone yields,” Nicole huffed as she flopped back and let the swords drop from her outstretched hands in defeat. There were ways out of her position, but not ones that didn’t involve injury of some kind so pushing it was dangerous and stupid when they were only training.

“Do you yield?”

“I yield.” Accepting the hand Alexandria held out after she’d stood up, Nicole groaned and stretched her back as she was pulled to her feet. “You are such a cheat. I totally had you then!” she grumbled as she wiped the dirt off her hands before retrieving the swords and handing them off to Aden.

“Close,” Alexandria admitted. “But not close enough!” Smirking, she pulled Nicole into a hug and gave her a friendly pat on the back that had her groaning in half-hearted protest at the rough treatment. “You did well today.”

“She did amazingly!” Waverly could barely contain her excitement as she slipped over the barrier that marked the area of the training ground and made her way over to them. Ignoring Nicole’s attempt to ward her off because of how sweaty and dirty she was, Waverly pressed herself into the firm lines of her body and basked in the heat radiating off her as well as the clean scent of sweat and dirt that all seemed to add to the allure of her sweet vanilla scent.

Looping her hands around the back of Nicole’s neck, she burrowed her fingers into the sweat-dampened strands of hair and tugged subtly, eliciting a soft growl and darker glint to Nicole’s eyes. “Amazing,” she purred appreciatively against her lips as their heads moved closer together.

“Hey! PDA! We’re supposed to be getting busy with this video, not all that!”

Rolling her eyes at her sister’s impeccably terrible timing, Waverly smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Nicole’s lips. Tongue darting out, she swiped delicately at them, gathering up the sweet taste of sweat there before drawing back.

“Hmm, maybe I should get you to kiss her like that before training to give Anya and the others a chance against her,” Alexandria smirked, a laugh bubbling from her at the dopy, love-drunk smile Nicole turned her way. “Come, let’s get cleaned up and get to work.”

**********

Swiping a hand across the slick surface of the bathroom mirror hanging above the sink, Nicole looked at herself in the clear patch. Her reflection wavered and distorted as the steam and rivulets of water tried to take over where she had wiped away the condensation, making her eyes look dark and sunken in her skull, the brown taking over and looking huge in a way now lost to her.

Her fingers probed at her left shoulder. A wince twisting her mouth around the toothbrush dangling from her mouth as she pressed into the ache there that she knew would be a visible bruise by morning. It was far better to earn a bruise or sprain on the training ground than out on the job where hesitation could cost the life of herself, anyone she was partnered with or just anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way.

Growling, she wiped the mirror clean of the encroaching condensation again and finished brushing her teeth.

The thought of training… of facing Alexandria and finding out how much of herself she had lost. Of seeing any hint of disappointment in her eyes. It had been a terrifying prospect that had almost had her racing into the forest or simply jumping into her car and driving away rather than facing it.

She had needed to know though.

She had to, so she could protect the ones she loved.

From the moment she had gotten up and put on the armour of her training clothes it had all started to feel almost normal. And once she was standing in the arena with Alexandria standing across from her wearing her usual expression that said she was going to give it all, no quarter asked for or given… it had been as though something had clicked into place and her muscles had taken over.

She’d had to push herself more than usual to keep up but her knowledge of her moves and skills she had learned had quickly filled in the gaps her new levels of speed, strength, of everything, had revealed.

All in all, Nicole felt pretty good despite, or maybe because of, the litany of aching muscles and bruises that Waverly was sure to fuss over just as she had when they could heal within moments of them happening.

That didn’t mean that she wasn’t nervous about whatever it was that Nedley had planned for her though. Her time in the academy wasn’t all that long ago that she had forgotten everything she had learned there. But everything she did now, was like doing it for the first time all over again.

The bathroom door opened behind her, bringing with it a waft of cooler air heavy with the scent of Waverly as she stepped into the room. The door closed, dulling the sound of the kids playing with their toys to a loving, dull roar.

Nicole watched Waverly’s distorted image in the mirror lift her hand and press a finger to her lips to urge her to remain quiet. Smiling at the twinkle in her eyes, Nicole sighed and shivered as Waverly’s hands skirted around her bare waist as she stepped up behind her, pressing her against the cold porcelain of the sink.

Warm lips and a hot, wet tongue worked their way along her spine and shoulders. Her teeth dragged and nipped as she followed the droplets of water from her wet hair to the curve of her neck.

“Someone is feeling needy,” Nicole smirked even as her body thrummed with need in response to Waverly’s closeness.

“Shush,” Waverly admonished her with a slightly harder nip of teeth at Nicole’s pulse that had her hissing in a breath and arching back, her body caught between the sink and her body. “I wish we had more time,” she sighed, resting her forehead against Nicole’s shoulder as they both heard the sound of car doors slamming.

“To be continued?”

“Damn straight. Don’t,” she warned as Nicole’s lungs filled with the typical lesbian urge to make a pun at the use of _that_ word. Picking up the clean towel Nicole had ready, Waverly ran it over her back and shoulders, drying her skin before moving on to her hair. It was getting longer, the ends that had been hanging around her jaw now brushing across her strong shoulders.

“Guess I should get it cut again soon.” A thick moan broke from her as Waverly’s fingers combed through her hair.

“It’s your hair, you can have it how you want but… for the record… I kind of like it longer.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. Gives me more to hold on to,” she husked against Nicole’s ear, pulling another moan from her as she tunnelled her fingers through her hair and gently pulled close to her scalp for emphasis, tilting her head to the side to expose the line of her throat for the soft swipe of her tongue to gather up the taste of her bleeding through her body wash and another tender bite that had her scent exploding in a pure undiluted rush across her taste buds.

“Someone is being _very_ bad again,” Nicole growled softly. Turning in Waverly’s arms, she gently but firmly pinned her arms down by her sides and trapped her, breast to breast, within the prison of her arms. “Full moon getting to you, baby?”

Waverly froze for a moment, fear dripping down her spine like ice at the sudden panic that Nicole would reject her. It was the same fear that had so far stilled her tongue about being able to smell and taste her scent. She wasn’t sure if that was because they were so close to the full moon or what it might mean… and really, did it make much of a difference when Nicole still couldn’t shift? But there was, as always, nothing but love in those brown eyes… well, love and a great deal of mischief and passion and it calmed her.

Wiggling a hand free from where it was pinned against her side, Waverly dragged the tips of her fingers down across Nicole’s cheek and jaw, cupping the sharp line of it as her thumb brushed across the edge of the mostly healed cut on her lip. “You. You get to me,” she growled against her, gorging herself on the moans that spilt from Nicole as her hands roamed upon the glorious expanse of flesh laid bare before her.

A hesitant knocking on the bathroom door and an exaggerated clearing of a throat had Nicole easing back. Smiling softly at Waverly’s pout that matched her own feelings at the interruption, she rested her forehead against Waverly’s, her arms still holding her close.

“What?”

“Erm, I hate to interrupt… really, really hate it,” Anya grumbled under her breath. “But everyone is heading in now and I thought I would give you a heads up and save you from Wynonna or Raven bursting in on you.”

“That’s very much appreciated.”

“Don’t mention it. Really… please, don’t!”

Waverly rolled her eyes as Anya made a point to stomp and grumble her way back to the living room where she was playing babysitter slash personal bodyguard while they were at Alexandria and Clarke’s. Anya was doing her best to make out that it was punishment for failing in the training arena earlier but no matter how hard she tried to make her glower, she hadn’t been able to hide the joy in her eyes as the girls had cried out her name and made a beeline for their ‘favourite badass aunt’, as Anya had dubbed herself.

Picking up Nicole’s clothes, Waverly held out her bra for her and tugged it back at the last moment with a teasing smirk. “Kisses for clothing?”

All too willing to play Waverly’s game, Nicole leaned in closer, trapping the bundle of her clothing between their bodies. Their lips hovered a hairsbreadth apart for the space of a heartbeat, curving into soft smiles as the anticipation built before their lips came together in a heated caress that radiated through their bodies.

**********

“Well, it’s about time you two decided to grace us with your presence!”

“Oh, hush up, Wynonna!” Hiding a blush beneath a layer of bravado, Waverly jabbed her elbow into her sister’s side and made her move along the couch she was seemingly trying to claim for herself in a display of Alpha posturing.

“Why are we doing this here then? No offence or anything,” she hurried to assure Alexandria and Clarke, “I’m just curious.”

“Neither the Homestead or our place is big enough for everyone here,” Waverly gestured around the room and received an acknowledging grunt off Wynonna. “The station is but we’re trying not to draw the attention of the ‘suspect’.” She drew pointed, and fairly mocking, air quotes around the word in deference of Nicole’s reluctance to name who they damn well knew was to blame.

“We need proof, Waves. Solid proof that she can’t wiggle out of.”

“My jaws around her throat would be pretty wiggle proof,” Wynonna grumbled.

“As satisfying as that would be— I mean as wrong as that would be! Totally wrong! Nope, we would never do that!” Nicole rushed out under the weight of Nedley’s disapproving glower that had his eyebrows beetling together.

Robin lifted his head cautiously from where he had been busy setting up all his equipment ready to analyse the audio on the recording they were about to watch. “Jerbear, are they discussing killing someone?”

“It’s okay Robin,” Jeremy patted his arm reassuringly and tossed Wynonna a glare that was ignored. “They’re just teasing… mostly.” By that point, he was just hoping that prolonged exposure to Wynonna and the others wouldn’t have Robin running in fear.

“Okay,” Robin ducked back down to adjust the wiring he had been working on for a moment before rising again. “Well, I hope it doesn’t sound too bad that I kind of wish you were talking about Bunny Loblaw.”

“Bunny?”

“Yeah,” grimacing, he ducked back down so he wouldn’t have to see the judgement or disappointment on their faces. “She’s a huge part of the reason why I left Purgatory in the first place.”

“She bullied you?!”

“Nothing physical. And never where anything could be proved. It was always just barely veiled words.”

“Robin, that’s still bullying,” Jeremy whispered, his hand gently rubbing across the tense line of Robin’s shoulders.

“I know that… now. At the time I wasn’t ready to come out and she was threatening my parents too so as soon as I graduated high school I got out of town and went to college so they would be okay. Then once I was safe I came out to them and Chrissy and Waverly too. I always knew I was safe with you,” he smiled.

“I wish you’d told us about her—”

“I couldn’t, Waves! I blamed myself… internalised homophobia and all that. I just wanted my parents to be safe and blamed myself and what was ‘wrong’ with me for everything. Thankfully college, being around people like me, it saved me. The thought of coming back here… that scared me. But this is home and I needed to be here for my dad. The Bunnys of the world… I can ignore their words. Kind of have to on a daily basis. That is easier to do with friends and a boyfriend to lean on,” he smiled shyly at Jeremy, his smile widening at the dopy expression the word caused on Jeremy’s face.

“And in all, Purgatory is so much better and more accepting than anywhere I’ve been,” he smiled at the people gathered together in the room. He hadn’t meant to expose himself so much but now that he had the looks in their eyes; the gamut of expressions of anger, pride, and love all for him made him glad that he had.

But now that he had… he needed to be useful and become more in their eyes than just what Bunny and people like her had made him.

“Anyway… nearly got this all ready to go. There!” Sitting back on his heels, he turned the power on and watched as all the lights came on and blinked away happily. “Knew my degree would come in handy one day!”

“Some kind of forensics degree?”

“No. Jazz music,” he answered Xavier with all seriousness.

“Okay, let’s see if we can get anything off of this.” Ignoring the questioning looks she was getting, Nicole moved closer with the others, their bodies huddling together as they shuffled around for the best view of the grainy dash-cam footage even though they were looking at it on a big screen. Although she had been reluctant to put a name to the person they may find, after Robin’s story, Nicole was hoping more than ever that Bunny would turn out to be the one so they could put an end to everything she had done and was still trying to do.

Nicole arched an eyebrow at Wynonna as the video jumped into life at the day the cruiser was taken and showed her heading into the doughnut shop while the frat boys loitered outside long enough to watch the door close behind her.

“They couldn’t have looked more suspicious if they’d tried, Earp.”

“Et tu, Xavier? Hey, I’m not trained for things like that!”

“I feel that it is more likely that you were too busy thinking about doughnuts.”

“They do make good doughnuts there.” Wynonna drooled, choosing to ignore the betrayal of her boys and just lose herself just thinking about them instead. Sweet, sweet, sugary doughnuts would never let her down. But in thinking about them, she managed to miss the cruiser’s theft for the second time.

Rolling her eyes, Waverly shared a look with Xavier and Doc. It wasn’t as though she kept a detailed account of Wynonna’s ruts, that would be weird… but she kind of did and knew what the symptoms looked like and Wynonna was showing all of them even though she should have been months away and not the days that she appeared to be.

“Could you go back a bit… okay, pause there,” leaning forward, J.D. rubbed his chin in thought as he studied the screen. “I think I recognise those two idiots.”

“Any idea where from?”

“I _think_ I saw them leaving the station as I was coming on duty that day. They knocked into me on the way out stinking of cheap booze… thought for a moment I’d run into Wynonna,” he teased.

“Is this pick on Wynonna day and no one told me?” Leaning forward, Wynonna ruffled his hair before he could block her.

“Hmm,” Nicole glowered at the screen, eager to get her hands on them. “Looks like we got a pretty good look at them, J.D. could you take a discrete look at the records in the morning and see if anything pops?”

“Looks like Liu was on shift when they would have been processed,” he confirmed his own memory with a scroll through the duty schedule her kept on his phone. “Yeah. I know she’s pretty new to the department but is it okay if I bring her in on this? She’s smart, if I question her in the slightest she will latch on.”

“I’ll say… I asked her the other week where the elastic band supplies were and I thought she was going to drag me into an interrogation room.”

“Earp, that’s because you were armed with glitter bombs and muttering under your breath not so quietly about catapults. But, yeah, J.D. read her in on everything as much as you think she needs to know. Orla’s whip-smart and might think of something to help. And I trust you to know how much to give her.”

“Look at you! Teacher’s pet,” Wynonna shouldered him playfully.

Knowing better than to comment, Nicole started the footage running again and had Robin adjusting the audio to clear up the audio to see if they mentioned anything that could be of use.

On screen, the car eventually came to a halt after what looked like a couple of wrong turns on the edge of town and the two teens got out and started talking to someone out of sight of the camera.

“Robin?”

Robin adjusted a couple of settings, his brow creasing in concentration as he listened to the results through the expensive high-end headphones he was wearing. “Sorry, they’re too far out of range. Most I can pick up is that the boys are agitated and they mentioned Sweet Grass.”

“No, that’s good. Now we know that someone here sent them there.”

“It could have just been someone visiting,” Valdez felt beholden to point out.

“Yeah, it could be,” Nicole admitted. “But that area of Purgatory is more of an area known to locals. Most outsiders would pick an area they can find easily and where they would blend in like a café or bar, somewhere with more out-of-towners they can mingle with.” it was a stretch and any half competent lawyer could punch holes in the reasoning, but it was the most likely.

The car started off again, driving faster and faster as it sped towards Sweet Grass and finally pulled into the parking lot of the saloon. Before it had even come to a halt, Banditos were spilling out of the saloon with weapons drawn with no attempt to hide the fact that they were carrying them.

“Not sure if those kids are brave or just plain dumb… I want to run just looking at them,” J.D. muttered more to himself.

“I’m going with dumb,” Nicole shook her head as they were dragged out of the cruiser and tossed around like toys between the burly bikers until Rolf brought a halt to the game and stepped in close to the boys. Grabbing one by the hair he pulled his head back sharply and pushed a gun up under his chin.

_“You’re the two delivery boys, huh?”_

_“Yeah- yes.”_

_“And did our new partner say if she would need you again?”_

_“No man! This is just a onetime deal! She said you would give us what we’d earned and take us out of here!”_

_“Out of here? Naw! Just take you out!”_

“Oh god.” Nicole’s hands clenched into fists as a shot rang out. Everyone in the room was struck silent in horror while sick laughter and screams poured from the speakers as the boy’s body hit the dusty ground with a soft thud.

_“Right! Well, that’s one of you got what you ‘earned’. Boys, take this other piece of trash out and do what you want. I need to have a word with our partner about using us to clean up her mess!”_

On the screen, Rolf stood there looking down at the body at his feet as the other boy was dragged away kicking and screaming for his life. Once they were gone, he wiped his hands clean and fished his phone out. Sitting on the bonnet of the cruiser he whistled as he scrolled through his contacts and selected the one he wanted.

_“Yeah. It’s me… Yeah, we got what you sent. And just this once we cleaned up after you but that was a onetime thing! Next time you owe us! … No! You listen! You came to us for help and you’ll get what you paid for, Purgatory in chaos and ripe for you to take over.”_

He smirked as gunshots and screams rang out in the distance.

_“That? That was just the trash being cleaned up… Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. Soon as the heat has died down on the cruiser going missing and there is an opening in our schedule, we’ll get to work… You’re getting the cheap rate ‘cause we want revenge on those bastards but don’t push it! … You come to use if you want to talk… Tonight, yeah. Okay… See you then.”_

“Oh my god… they killed them? They actually killed those kids!” Waverly’s whole body trembled in anger, fear and shock for what they had done to the boys. A part of her had just assumed that they had just stolen the car and then gone back to school! And then it hit her… that could have been the fate of Nicole and Wynonna. “That— You—”

Seeing the rising panic and distress on Waverly’s face, Nicole dropped to her knees in front of Waverly and cupped her face between her hands. “It’s okay. Just breathe with us,” she encouraged as Wynonna lent her support. “In and out. Nice and easy. We’re safe and they’re gone, baby. We’re safe,” straightening out Waverly’s clenched fists she placed one on Wynonna’s face and cradled the other against her own cheek. “We’re safe. We’re right here, baby. They can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Focussing on Nicole’s voice, Waverly pulled herself back from the darkness that had been rushing in on her, using her words and touch to guide herself until finally, she could see them both. She felt stupid and tried to duck back into herself but neither of them allowed it. Pulling them into a tight hug, she basked in the whiskey-soaked and reckless scent of Wynonna and the sweet, heady, vanilla dipped doughnut scent of Nicole that seeped into every part of her being.

“Thanks,” leaning back, she pressed kisses to both of their cheeks; repaying Wynonna’s fake gagging sound of disgust with an extra sloppy kiss for good measure.

“Sure you’re okay? We don’t have to watch any more—”

“I’m okay now. Really,” she assured them. “I just got stuck on what could have happened to you both. Like you said though, you’re okay and they can’t hurt anyone else. Now we just need to get who they’re working with.”

Nodding, Nicole pressed a lingering kiss to Waverly’s forehead and climbed back to her feet.

“I’ll get in touch with the locals down there when we’re done. Let them know that there are some more bodies for them to find out there. J.D., once you and Orla find out where those boys were from, let Nicole and I know… we’re going to have some difficult calls to make. That’s if you don’t mind the help, Nicole?” he rushed to add when he realised that it might seem like he was trying to take over from her.

“It’s always appreciated,” she smiled at him and turned her gaze on everyone gathered around the room… friends and family all of them. “This all kinds of feels like it’s going to be an all hands on deck kind of deal and I can’t think of better people to have at my side.”

“Walking bumper sticker.”

“Even you, Earp,” Nicole smirked. “You okay with this Robin?”

Robin looked up from the display of flashing lights and switches on his equipment. He could still hear the sickening sound of screaming and gunshots echoing through his head even though there was nothing coming through the equipment right then. He focussed on Nicole’s question and turned his gaze inwards. He wasn’t brave how they were… None of this was a part of his job and he could see from a quick look around that they wouldn’t even judge him if he walked away right there and then but…

He was furious at the bikers for what they had done to those stupid kids and the person they were working with. Robin had never thought of himself as brave. Hell, at the first chance he had run from Purgatory rather than face his own personal demon in Bunny Loblaw. But, he was a human and he wasn’t going to run from this when he could do something to help.

“I’m okay. Do you need me to go over the audio on that part again?”

“No, I think we got more than we wanted from that.” More than any of them wanted to see and go through again anyway.

“Maybe for now if we just skip through and see if anything shows when their ‘guest’ turns up?” Xavier suggested.

Nicole sat down beside Waverly while Robin and Jeremy got to work. Warm fingers slid across her palm and entwined with hers in a soothing embrace. Lifting their clasped hands, she kissed the backs of Waverly’s fingers and nuzzled her cheek against them.

“Okay, looks like we’ve found it!”

With one more kiss to Waverly’s fingers, Nicole got back up off the couch and made her way back over to them as the footage started to roll across the big screen again. It was dark, almost pitch black outside the cruiser apart from the glow of lights from the poorly boarded up windows of the saloon.

Nicole’s memory of the building and the layout of the area filled in the gaps as the area lit up brighter and brighter until finally, headlights lit up the building like spotlights as they swung into the parking lot.

“That came from our direction and not the road from Sweet Grass. Let’s hope they parked somewhere the camera caught them.”

They heard the sound of the engine cutting out and the screen was cast into darkness again, the only light once more coming from the saloon as the door was opened and Rolf sauntered outside along with a muffled rush of sound and the beat of music.

_“You’re late!”_

Nicole cursed through gritted teeth as Rolf stepped out of the view of the camera, his voice falling out of range to a hushed whisper with the noise from the saloon blanketing him further.

“Anything?”

“Not much,” Robin lamented quietly, the failure of his equipment making him feel as though he had failed them personally. Winding back the footage, he tuned everything in as best as he could so they could make out as much as possible of the voices while muting the music.

_“Not that I care… doing this?”_

_“Gib… took everything… land… that… ours… family… take… theirs…”_

“That sounds like Bunny… right?”

“Hard to tell. It doesn’t _not_ sound like her though.”

_“… nephew failed… do what… paid for… when you’re done.”_

“Nephew?” Wynonna scowled. “I didn’t think that hellspawn had a family.”

“Not one I’ve ever heard of,” Nedley frowned deeply in thought as he strained to make out anything else being said that might be of use on the video.

The video continued on, growing so silent at times that the only signs that time was passing, or that the video hadn’t frozen at some points came from the time ticking off in the corner of the screen and the occasional shadow passing by the window of the saloon.

Finally, Rolf stepped back towards the saloon and into view of the camera once more with an envelope full of money clasped in his hands. There was a look of satisfaction on his face as he stopped within the beams of the headlights and turned back to address a point out of sight of the camera. The bright lights turned his face into an evil rictus; a ghastly pale caricature of a human being.

_“Got no problem with that, lady. No problem at all!”_

_“Aww, she not sticking around to party with us?”_

_“Naw. Thank god! That woman is a buzz kill.”_

“Definitely sounds like Bunny.”

_“And we’re only going to do what she wants?”_

_“Hell no! Soon as we’re done with that vendetta shit she’s got going on with the Gibson’s and the pack there, we’re going to take Purgatory for ourselves as recompense for the money we lost because of them. And high and mighty Ms Loblaw can like it or just go to hell with the rest of that place!”_

“Bingo!” Wynonna leaned forward excitedly. “That’s bingo right?” The lack of joy on Nedley and Nicole’s faces… even on Xavier’s was threatening to kill her enthusiasm.

“It’s a start but it’s not enough,” Nedley sighed.

“What? But… they said her name and threatened Mama and Aunt Gus! That’s got to be enough!”

“Yes, but we never saw her face. If we pull her in on this she could just claim that it wasn’t even here, that someone was just using her name. Even if she slips up she could say that she’d hired them for something completely different. I’m not saying we can’t use what we’ve found out but…”

“Hey, it’s just the start and not the end,” Nicole assured them as Nedley slumped back in his seat, his face a mask of apologetic frustration. Their hands were tied by the law but… “We know she’s behind this. Yeah, I’m not denying that any longer. We need to do this right though, Earp. She is not pack and she’s not the kind to accept pack law. If we go about this wrong it could all come crashing down on us and Purgatory but especially the pack will suffer for it.”

“Fine. I will bite her if she tries anything though. Especially with Mama or Gus Hey, we can blame it on a dog attack.”

“A pony-sized dog?” Nicole snorted softly.

“We could say it was Bernie?”

“Bernie would know better than to bite into bad meat.”

“True. So what’s our next step then, Haughtstuff?”

“Deep dive into Bunny Loblaw. Background on her and the rest of her family, especially her mysterious nephew. If we can find him that could help us. We need to figure out what she’s up to and why she’s doing this.”

“Other than the fact that she’s a raging bitch?”

“That would be preferable,” Nedley drawled.

“I can work on that with Jeremy and Robin?”

“Team research?”

“Team research,” she smiled at them both and leaned over to accept Jeremy’s fist bump.

“I’ll also work on the audio a little more while they do the hard research.” Robin was all too aware of the way his voice wavered at the thought. The memory of the gunshots was raw in his mind and made his shoulders jerk before they straightened determinedly. “I’ll make sure there’s nothing more I can’t find to help.”

“Just from the end when she was there. We just need evidence that it was her voice. Okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled gratefully at Nicole’s out. The offer strengthening his resolve to go deeper if needed.

“We’ll get the pack working on tailing her, get some ears on her and make sure she doesn’t get up to anything.”

“Nothing we’ll have to pull any of your asses in for though, Wynonna. I mean it.”

“You are such a wet blanket, Haught. We need to have a chat with Gus and Mama too. Aunt Gus will probably be the best bet with Mama’s memory still being all squirrely but hopefully one of them might remember something about a family feud they forgot to tell us about.”

“The other one that attacked you, has there been anything more on him?”

“Not to put a dampener on it, Valdez, but it was Haughty here he had his heart set on becoming his bride,” Wynonna smirked.

“We don’t even know if that was what he said,” Nicole protested almost by instinct. “You think we should still look into him? “

“Yeah, he did kind of go poof, Val.”

“Do not call me Val,” Valdez drawled back. “And, I’m not sure why but time has taught me to trust my instincts and they are screaming that this is important somehow.”

“For us too,” Clarke spoke up. “What do you remember of what he said?”

“Not much. It didn’t really even sound like English apart from that one word…” taking a breath, Nicole tried her best to recreate the rumbling, gravelly way he had said that one word that had almost but not quite sounded like ‘wife’. “What?” she asked at the look that passed between Clarke, Alexandria and Valdez. “I know I probably butchered that but—”

“No, you got it right,” Alexandria stated. “It is just that I had never thought I would hear the language of the gnomes again.”

“I’m sorry… The gnooo… what now?” Wynonna snorted at the word. “Gnomes? That dude was frickin’ huge! Not some itty-bitty little thing!”

“And you are a Werewolf. You more than anyone should know what it is like to have your species history changed by myth and rumour Wynonna. Or do you actually create more of your kind by bite?”

“Okay. Point made and taken. What’s the deal with gnomes then… Ya know for those that just know the ugly garden ornament variety.”

“There is actually not much known,” Alexandria admitted. “For the most part they kept to themselves; tinkering with gadgets and gardening.”

“Hence the garden ornaments!” Waverly sat forwards eagerly, her body vibrating at the thought of new knowledge to learn.

“Nerd,” Wynonna muttered behind a cough. Of course, her sister would be getting a kick out of the terrifying dude that had chased them and sliced and diced all the gang being a gnome.

“Waverly is right. While there was not much known about the gnomes, their skills in the garden were so widely known and coveted that people made statues in the hopes of gaining their favour. Eventually, they became the novelty items that they are today and that outlasted the truth.”

“And that thing he said that sounded like wife?”

“They do not speak any language that is recognised but… that does translate as wife.”

“Ha! Knew it!”

“Again… We were chained to each other!” Nicole sighed as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“What happened to the gnomes?”

“They had all but died out before I was born,” Alexandria stated sadly.

“And where I was born they were already scarce as they preferred milder climates. I never met any that I am aware of and only heard of them in passing… Usually whispers on the wind of someone being fought to have gnomes working for them just because their land was fertile and their garden was lush or crops grew better. And anyone whose garden was poor was said to be cursed by them.”

“God forbid anyone should take the blame for their own actions.”

“I’ll add gnomes to our research list just in case.”

Wynonna pulled a face at the utter bookish joy radiated from her sister. “Sometimes I wonder if we’re even related with how you like research so much.”

“We can’t all be doughnut eating machines.”

“Are you sure about that?” Smirking, Wynonna waggled her eyes roguishly and gestured towards Nicole. The way Waverly’s face blushed bright red had her bursting with laughter… until she thought about what she’d said. “No! Gross! La, la-la, lala! Forget I even mentioned that!”

**********

Looping her arms around Waverly’s waist, Nicole breathed in the scent of her and closed her eyes. She felt Waverly lean back into her, her warm hands caressing along her forearms, holding her closer as they swayed gently together.

“You okay?” Lifting a hand, she caressed the side of Nicole’s face where she was pressed against the crook of her neck.

“Mmmhmm, just savouring that quiet moment between everyone being gone and the kids waking up.” On cue, she heard the muffled sounds coming from the kids’ bedroom that signalled that they had moments left. Their kids always had an abundance of energy but the full moon worked on them just as sugar did on regular kids. “I thought that Wynonna was hyper enough earlier but the kids have her beat this moon. Hey, I’m okay with that,” she quickly assured Waverly as she felt her grow still in her embrace.

“I don’t want to run without you,” Waverly admitted. “I know you wanted me to just carry on as normal but, Nicole, I can’t.”

“You need to—”

“I’m not a slave to the moon, Nicole! And you can’t force me to run if I don’t want to!”

Nicole snagged Waverly’s hand in hers as she tried to storm away and gently turned her back into her arms. “You’re right, I can’t force you and I never would. If you think it would hurt me though I want you to get that thought right out of your head. You are magnificent when you change and nothing would give me more pleasure than to see that.” Tucking a strand of hair back behind Waverly’s ear, she trailed her fingers around over the line of her jaw to hook her chin with a finger to lift it. “I want to see you change but that is up to you. And I would love to see you run with Wynonna and the others but, again, that is up to you. As long as you know and believe that I am happy with whatever you decide.”

“Then… I would rather stay with you and the kids?” Biting her lip, Waverly glanced up from beneath lowered lids to make sure it truly was okay and was met with a soft, understanding smile that made her heart swell with emotion. “And…”

“And?”

“Maybe I could change just for you and them?”

“Whatever you want, Waves,” she whispered, her lips curving into a smile of gentle reassurance and love against Waverly’s lips that were parted beneath her own, a look of soft wonder gracing her beautiful face. “Whatever you want.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - sorry this is taking so long to get Nicole's wolf back. I know that is what everyone is waiting for but the getting them there and telling the story they want to tell is taking longer than I thought it would -_- It will get there though.
> 
> AN 2 - Blame Brie Larson and that darn Beat Saber game she was playing for their sudden desire to train with swords rather than research.


	26. Chapter 26

Nicole quietly let the kitchen door swing shut behind her with a click as she made her way outside onto the porch. Even with her senses dulled she could feel the first bite of autumn on the air as the cooler night air settling around her body like a familiar blanket. She breathed it, feeling the hint of frost and promise of winter snow catch at the back of her throat with each breath. But the chill was soon forgotten as her eyes raked in the sight of Waverly standing with her back to the house, her eyes turned towards the woods with a sadness in her eyes that was emitted vocally as a broken sigh that drifted away on the breeze.

“Are you ready?” She checked in quietly, wanting, needing to make sure that Waverly’s change of plans was what she truly wanted and not because of pressure from someone else.

Waverly’s body jumped slightly at her question, her fingers tightening within the fabric of the thick robe she had draped over her shoulders until they were ghostly white under the light of the full moon hanging over them. Her slender shoulders came up in a quick, noncommittal shrug that Nicole felt under her hands as she traced them soothingly over her.

“Baby? Look at me, Waves, Please?” Nicole gently turned her around to face her and cupped Waverly’s face between her palms. Nicole studied her eyes, clearly seeing the sadness and uncertainty within their hazel beauty. She knew that her love was upset for her; that she couldn’t shift and run with her but right then, Nicole didn’t want any focus on her. It was a difficult thing to accept but her way of coping was to focus on Waverly and the kids and keeping the night as normal as she could for them when everything was anything but normal.

“Hey,” smiling, she kissed the tip of Waverly’s nose and gently pressed their foreheads together. “No sad eyes, okay? I meant what I said before, this is about what _you_ want.”

“I know. And I do what this but… Nicole, I’m kind of scared that it’s going to hurt again without you to help guide me,” Waverly admitted quietly, her voice barely breaking above a whisper. For the first time since Nicole had come into her life, she wanted to run from even the thought of changing to escape the possibility of pain that might come with it.

That was a good part of the reason behind her changing her mind and deciding to run with Wynonna and the others that night. She didn’t want to let Nicole down, and she knew she wouldn’t no matter what, but she was scared. Her mind running a mile a minute, tripping over itself with fears and question of ‘what if?’

For herself. For Nicole. For their children. She needed to bring a semblance of normality to a night that was anything but.

“I’m right here, baby. I got you. I’ve _always_ got you.” Head tilting to the side, Nicole brushed her thumbs across Waverly’s cheeks, drawing her eyes back to her. Smiling gently, she dipped her head, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss that left her lips tingling from the power building under Waverly’s skin. “I don’t think you realise just how extraordinary you are, Waverly Earp.”

“Oh, I’m all ears if you want to tell me.” Smiling playfully past the fear, Waverly slid her hands along Nicole’s arms and shoulders. Her robe slid unnoticed from her shoulders and dropped with a soft whisper of noise to the pool in a heap on the porch as she tunnelled her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of Nicole’s neck. She leaned back within the circle of her arms, entrusting Nicole implicitly to keep her on her feet.

Nicole’s rich, musical laughter tinkled across her ears, filling her with a warmth that had her wanting to get closer to the source. Spurred on, Waverly’s fingers worked quickly, impatiently to loosen Nicole’s clothing. She tugged and pushed against the fabric, moving it aside and off without care or thought as to where any of it ended up in her haste to get to the warmth of her silky soft skin and the hard muscles beneath.

Dipping her voice and her head, Nicole nuzzled her nose against Waverly’s flesh and ran her lips up along the side of Waverly’s throat. Nipping gently just below her ear, she let her teeth linger against her pulse. “Such a bad, bad, Omega,” she purred throatily. She pulled Waverly closer, absorbing the shudder that ran through her slender body. Waverly’s knees weakened at the contact and she sagged against her with a throaty moan of need and supplication. “I will tell you later just how amazing you are.” Her, ‘no matter what’ was left unspoken but she could see that Waverly had heard it clearly.

“Later?”

“Mhm, how does, when you’re under me in bed, with your legs over my shoulders, holding on to the headboard for dear life while I pound you into the mattress with your favourite strap sound? Think you can be a good girl and wait until then?” Emphasising her words, Nicole dragged her blunt nails slowly down Waverly’s naked back, setting her writhing against her. Her muscles twitching beneath her touch with barely contained energy as they ached to expand and shift. “I want to see you shift and run, baby. Can you do that for me? I know you can,” she breathed against her throat in a hot rush or air backed with a purr of pleasure. “Show your Alpha how beautiful you are, baby girl.”

Waverly’s moan was thick and heavy to her own ears, dripping with need as she writhed within the tender confines of Nicole’s embrace in an attempt to get impossibly closer. She could feel the change washing over her and while she mourned the fact that Nicole’s eyes didn’t widen into pools of honey-brown that always pulled her in, she couldn’t deny the love there for her, ready to buoy her up when she fell into them.

Nicole cupped Waverly’s face within the cradle of her hands once more. She could feel the energy flowing through Waverly’s body stronger than ever. It tingled against her palms and washed across her body where they were pressed together in an enticing, electric rush.

Despite the power urging her on and the moon pulling at her, Waverly seemed determined to resist the call of the moon. Her hands pressed against her spine, her fingertips pressing tight to score lines into her flesh as she anchored herself to her.

“I’ve got you, baby. Just relax and let yourself go for your Alpha,” she lulled gently, holding Waverly’s gaze captive within her own, letting her see all the love she held in her heart and soul for her.

Head tilting back in supplication to the moon and her Alpha, Waverly cried out and let the change wash over her. If it was even possible, it felt different and yet the same as her love for Nicole drew her shift out as much as the glowing moon above them.

Head dropping limply forward, Waverly rested it over Nicole’s shoulders and released a soft huff as her Alpha’s elegant fingers scratched behind her furry ears. There was pride, love, and maybe even a little sadness within the soft brown of Nicole’s eyes as she finally lifted her head and dared to look. And, though there was no trace of them, she could smell the salt of tears upon Nicole’s cheeks.

“Nicole—”

Cutting her off, Nicole cupped the delicate shape of Waverly’s head and made blatant use of her soft ears to tilt her down enough to press a kiss to the top of her soft-furred head right between them. “My tears aren’t for me, pretty girl. I am so, _so_ proud of you and I love you so much, Waves.”

Strong arms wrapped around Nicole, lifting her clean off her feet into a fierce hug against the firm wall of Waverly’s chest. Biting back a grunt of protest, Nicole hugged Waverly back as best as she could given that Waverly had managed to pin her arms. Wiggling them free she tunnelled her fingers deep into the thicker rough of hair around Waverly’s neck which encouraged her to go on a rampage of scent marking.

“Just in case any gnomes turn up.”

Nicole rolled her eyes and gave Waverly’s ears a soft tug as she smirked wolfishly and lolled her tongue out goofily. “Fool. Are you okay?”

With a deep sigh, Waverly sank back into a crouch and dipped her head to hide her eyes and what they might give away about her feelings. “I feel like I should be asking you that.”

“Hey,” Nicole tugged firmly on her ear in admonishment, using her fingertips to simulate a bite. “I’ll be just fine, baby.” Picking up Waverly’s abandoned robe, she slipped it on to cover her nakedness as Gus and Curtis emerged at an almost apologetically slow pace from around the house with their heads dropped almost as low as Waverly’s.

“The girls are just starting to wake up,” Curtis spoke up quietly.

“Thanks,” Nicole nodded. She could hear them starting to rumble around, their energy levels rising because of the moon’s pull. “Go,” she smiled softly to Waverly as Gus and Curtis moved away to give them as much space as they could. “I can hear the pack getting restless so you know Wynonna is wearing a groove in our forest right now.”

“Are you—”

“Go, Waves,” Nicole chuckled as she gave Waverly’s shoulder a playful shove. “Run for me. I’ll be having fun with the monsters until you get home. And then we can have some fun of our own.” A blush wasn’t possible to see beneath the cover of fur but Waverly’s shy ducking of her head was clear to see… as was the heated glance that spoke volumes about tangled sheets, and bodies aching and dripping with the sweat of passion. “Go, before I don’t let you go at all.”

“If that’s meant to make me want to leave, it doesn’t.”

Smiling, Nicole gave her another playful shove in the direction of the woods. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched with a heavy heart as they loped across the land towards the stream and the trees beyond. Before they reached the edge, she saw a shadow peel from the darkness beneath the trees and take shape as Wynonna stepped out to meet them. Nicole was in no doubt that Doc and Xavier were close at hand but they stayed out of sight… maybe keeping the rest of the pack away as she had heard Wynonna on the phone at the station spreading the word that that part of their land was off limits for the night. It wasn’t unusual as they often did that if they wanted time alone. But the way that Wynonna had lowered her voice when she had seen her had just made her feel like a bit of a burden.

It hurt that they might feel the need to tiptoe around her. And yet. At the same time, she didn’t feel like she was ready to see all of them when she couldn’t be a part of the celebration that was running under the full moon and singing to her glory.

“Mama?”

Turning at the soft voice, Nicole smiled at the sight of Mel peering up at her from the doorway with her favourite stuffed toy clasped to her body. Typically for their children, she’d already managed to wiggle her tiny feet out of her socks and she looked like she’d abandoned her efforts to get out of the rest of her clothes to find her.

“Hey, sweetie.” Holding out her hands, Nicole gently swung Mel up into her arms, toy and all and cradled her close. Unlike Dom and Kat who seemed more often than not to wake up fully charged and raring to go, Jas and especially Mel clung to sleep a little longer. Wynonna said they looked like they needed a shot of espresso when they woke up. A statement which had them on alert whenever Wynonna was babysitting just in case she decided to act on it. A sleep-tousled head fell against her shoulder with a light thud as a tiny fist wrapped up in her hair and flexed over and over as though the feel and the motion soothed her.

Nicole pointed her mama and the others out to her where they lingered on the edge of the trees and helped her wave a sleepy hand to them all until they were out of sight.

“Did your sisters wake you up, baby?” On any normal night, they would have all been asleep but when the moon was full it acted on them like an alarm clock just as it did any wolf even though they were young and, in Mel and Jas’ case, couldn’t shift form.

Mel’s face crinkled into a soft frown before a little hand rose and pointed up in a vague gesture towards the moon.

“Ahhh, the moon did it huh? It is bright tonight. So big and beautiful.” Mel seemed more content to look at her and simply rest in her arms but Nicole could feel the energy starting to build in her little body and knew it wouldn’t be long before she was off, working with Jas to give Kat and Dom… and no doubt Bernie a run for their money with the playing and roughhousing.

“Jooz, mama?”

“You want some juice huh, sweetie?”

“Please, mama.”

Turning her back on the forest and the howls echoing across Purgatory to fill the night with song, Nicole made her way inside. “Ohh, boy! How long have you lot been up?” she whispered in astonishment at the chaos they had wrought in a matter of minutes.

Putting Mel down, she gave her little diapered butt a pat that set her off running and giggling, her body fully charged as she dove onto the writhing pile of children and throw pillows that had been snatched off the couch by them to add to the ones that were kept specifically for them where they could reach them. “Just like your Mama,” Nicole chuckled softly as their squeals and giggles rose unabated.

Turning her head, Nicole shared a look with Calamity who merp’d at her regally from where she was sitting on the top of the bookcase where they couldn’t reach her. “Room for one more up there, Janey?”

Chuckling at the imperious look she received from their floofy ginger guardian, Nicole turned her back on the living room. She could feel eyes following her questioningly from amongst the cover of the pillows. The buzz of childish excitement was palpable in the air as they looked to see what she was about to do. “Right! Who wants a cookie with their juice?!”

A laugh burst out of Nicole’s mouth as Bernie suddenly sat up, right in the middle of the kids at her offer. Pillows scattered as he burst out from under the ones that had been covering him from view with a yap that started the race to the kitchen.

**********

Although her body was racing through the woods, Waverly’s mind was back at home. And her heart and soul aching with every step that took her further away from Nicole until her body started to drag in response, urging her to turn around and go back to her.

Wynonna slowed her pace. Nodding to the others to carry on, she fell back until she was running shoulder to shoulder with her sister. Her body was there but it was like running with a shadow, an empty shell. Wynonna understood that though. She would deny it if asked but she kind of loved the tall ginger Alpha even when she was being all ‘Queen Brisk of Bossy Town’ and had a giant stick stuck up her ass and her not being there with them was like having a limb amputated. Maybe not her most favourite limb but still one she was very fond of.

She slowed to a halt with Waverly, offering her quiet support while the others continued on.

“Hey,” she gently rested her hand upon Waverly’s shoulder, feeling the tension running through her. “Haughtstuff is tough, baby girl. You know that. She’s proved it over and over her whole life when she had no one to lean on. Now she’s got you. She’s got all of us. She’ll be just fine.”

Wynonna’s breath left her in an audible rush as Waverly suddenly launched herself into her arms and released a broken sob against her chest.

“I should be home with her ‘Nonna,” Waverly wailed. “This-this is the first full moon since—”

“I know, baby girl. But, she wanted you to run, right?” drawing back a little, Wynonna gently lifted Waverly’s muzzle. “Nicole is a noble, soft and squishy, vanilla scented fool—”

“You’re getting hungry, huh?”

“Mmm. Yes. That’s not the point though. Point is… You two do all that healthy couple shit like talking right?”

“Of course we do,” Waverly huffed.

“Then trust her,” Wynonna urged. “I’m sure she’s hurting, who wouldn’t be? But keep talking and trust that she’ll talk back. Anyway, we’re only doing a short run tonight.”

“We are?”

“Hell yeah! I’m too damn hungry!” Chuckling at Waverly’s exaggerated eye roll, Wynonna nipped at her ears and shoulder, encouraging her to follow as she danced away. “Waves,” she whispered softly at the uncertainty in Waverly’s eyes, “this is your land. Use your senses doofus,” she flicked her on the forehead and darted away. “If we keep going, where will we end up in about… oh, twenty minutes or so?”

Head tilting, Waverly looked around and scented the air, tracking the land and… and the scent of home over her right shoulder that was stronger and closer than it should have been for how long they had been running. “Oh… Oh!” Rushing forward, she licked Wynonna right on the tip of her nose. She had them on a loop that would take them past the house. “Well, come on, slowpoke!”

Wiping at her nose, Wynonna rolled her eyes and chuckled fondly as Waverly raced away with a rejuvenated spring in her step.

“How’s our girl doing?”

“Geez, Uncle Curtis! You’re too damn big to be so sneaky!” Wynonna huffed out as she tried to calm her breathing while pretending the hair on her body hadn’t sprung up all at the same time at his sudden appearance.

“Years of standing still and watching tomato plants grow.”

“That… sounds kind of wise and crazy all at the same time.” She nudged him with her shoulder as his chuckle rumbled out into the night. “She’ll be okay. They both will. We’ll make sure of it,” she stated resolutely as they watched Waverly vanish into the trees.

“Yes, yes we will. Come on kid, time to catch up.”

“Hey! Uncle Curtis!” Wynonna loped after him, huffing as she had to put on an extra burst of speed to catch up to him. Seriously, tomato growers should _not_ be able to move so fast! “What do you know anything about gnomes?”

“The garden ornaments?”

**********

Finishing off the last of her drink of tea, Nicole rinsed out the mug and set it down. In the living room, she could hear Mel and Jas playing quietly but it was to the outside of the house where her eyes were drawn.

Picking some cookies out of the tin, she took one more glance into the living room to check everything was okay there before stepping outside onto the porch where Kat and Dom were sitting quietly.

Too quietly.

Kat was looking up at the moon, her body almost vibrating off the step where they were sitting with the barely repressed desire to shift and run around but she refused to leave her sister’s side. And Dom was hunched around herself so tightly she was nearly in a ball in a desperate attempt to deny herself.

Nicole sat down quietly on the step beside them and gently lifted both of them onto her lap and handed them both a cookie to nibble on. “Not in the mood to play?” Dom hunched into herself further and concentrated on the sweet treat in her hands like the answer to life itself was to be found in the oaty goodness. “It’s okay if you really don’t want to but, I bet Bernie is missing you.” Hearing his name, he lifted his head from the dirt at the bottom of the steps and gave the girls his very best hopeful, pleading look.

“Wan-want mama play too?”

“I know, sweetie.” Rocking them gently, she pressed kisses to their heads. “Mama can still play though, right?” she nudged her nose teasingly into the crook of Dom’s neck, pulling a giggle from her as she tickling her with a huff of breath. “Bet I can still catch you… and Bernie too,” she added as he bounded up onto tiny paws with a hopeful yap and dipped into an excited play bow with his tail wagging so enthusiastically he nearly knocked himself over.

The challenge finally won Dom over and before long they were all running around on the moonlit grass… Apart from Calamity Jane who preferred to supervise from the top of the fence posts around the paddock where they couldn’t reach her. Not that that stopped them from trying when Calamity dangled her tail down to entice them.

Kat and then finally Dom shifted, swapping their still uncoordinated toddler legs in favour of their equally uncoordinated but faster puppy forms.

And Nicole couldn’t have been happier as she watched them race around and throw back their heads and land on their butts as they attempted to sing and were answered by Waverly’s melodic call from somewhere closer than Nicole expected.

**********

“Need some help there, Sheriff?” Waverly winced in sympathy as her voice had the girls all bouncing up and down on Nicole who was sprawled out on her back under them. “Sorry, babe.”

“My fault,” Nicole chuckled as they rushed off to tackle Waverly. Climbing to her feet she made a futile attempt to brush the grass and dirt from her clothes. “I might have bribed them with an extra cookie. And, well, they are just as bad as Wynonna on sugar.”

“Hey!”

“She has a point, ‘Nonna.”

Wynonna would have protested more but she was too busy lying on the ground, fighting off a playful attack from the ankle biters. They were just too adorable and precious at that age in pup form and it kind of made her almost wish that Alice and Michelle could shift too even as she dreaded the thought for all the chaos it would bring if they could. Nope, it was much better to be Aunt to the chaos and get to experience it in small doses and spoil them rotten, and not the mother of it.

They raced around and played like a bunch of overgrown puppies while Doc and Xavier playfully fought over the best way to light the fire-pit that was waiting for them… Nicole was just glad that Raven wasn’t there as she would have been backing up Doc on his desire to use explosives.

Gus and Curtis tapped out and retreated to dress and sit by the fire. Wynonna followed soon after and eventually, the girls flagged enough to give in to the idea of sitting still.

Bernie yawned at their side as they picked up the girls and made their way back to the house. Waverly shifted seamlessly from one stride to the next, barely even having to adjust her hold upon the girls as she did so. The warmth enveloped them as they stepped over the threshold, the sudden heat making chilled flesh tingle but Nicole barely felt it as she followed the mesmerizing sway of Waverly’s body up the stairs.

“Sheriff Haught, are you checking me out?”

“Short answer; yes.”

“Long answer?”

“That will have to wait until we’re alone and I have my hands full of you and not this lot,” she nodded down to Kat and Dom who, despite being beyond tired to the point that their eyes were crossing, were obviously hanging on to every word.

“Good point,” Waverly chuckled softly. Leaning down, she pressed kisses to their heads and pressed closer still so her words could fall only to Nicole’s ears as her lips skimmed over the shell of it. “In that case, I’m looking forward to finding out more later,” she husked teasingly. As she drew back, Waverly nipped at Nicole’s lobe, the soft growl she earned in response adding an extra sway to her hips as she preceded Nicole into the nursery to settle the girls down… which took next to no time as they were asleep before their heads hit their pillows.

As they left the nursery, Waverly was hyperaware of Nicole’s body; the heat and presence of her right there at her back as they walked the short distance to their bedroom. The quiet click of the bedroom door closing behind them sounded startlingly loud to her ears and she almost expected the chatter from around the fire outside to still in response but the hushed noise continued unabated. A background hum to the heavy rush of blood in her veins and the thud of her heart.

Waverly leaned back into the heat of Nicole’s body as a strong hand skimmed over her hips and waist as she walked them forward into the rectangle of moonlight spilling through their window. Her elegant fingers dancing upon her flesh in a familiar flutter that always made Waverly’s heart beat a little faster in anticipation of their next move as her arm cinched in around her waist and pulled her back into her body with just enough force to have Waverly releasing a moan from between parted lips. The fingers of Nicole’s other hand gently combed her hair back, tucking it over her ear and sweeping it around to expose her shoulder and the side of her throat.

“Shh,” Nicole lulled, “the others will hear you.” She hid a smirk against Waverly’s shoulder as she let out a softly whimpered moan. Quiet was something they were both pretty much useless at when it came to expressing their love and appreciation of each other, and knowing they needed to restrain themselves was a sure-fire way to drive Waverly crazy.

With the slightest flexing of her fingers against Waverly’s hip and abdomen, Nicole stilled her attempt to step away to create some space to regain control over her emotions. Only when she let her know with a subtle nod that she was okay, did Nicole actually tighten her hold more.

Sinking her teeth into her lip, Waverly bit back a moan at the motion. She knew either of them could call a halt to their teasing at any moment they wanted too. All it would take was a single word. She also knew that they wouldn’t have all that much longer before someone, probably Wynonna, came looking to see where they were but, the need for restraint and quiet, the clandestine nature of what they were doing, was a delicious torment that built and whipped across already sensitive nerve endings to heighten every breath she took, and every movement of her body until she was hyper-aware of everything Nicole.

The kiss Nicole pressed to her pulse point was a feather-light, delicate brush of lips in comparison to the strength of the arm barred around her waist. The contrast of soft and hard, of biting fingers and the whisper of breath, had Waverly writhing back against Nicole, her breath hitching with need.

“Mmm, I love the scent of the trees that clings to you after a run.” Humming in appreciation, Nicole ran her nose and lips across Waverly’s throat as she dropped her head to the side to expose more of the sweetly scented flesh to her touch. “I prefer the taste of you though,” she growled.

Waverly stifled her plaintive cry behind a hand as Nicole’s teeth sank slowly, sweetly into her flesh and worked against her pulse. Heat soared through her body, radiating out from where Nicole’s fingers pressed against her abdomen and where her pulse fluttered like a bird trapped within the pearly, white cage of her teeth.

It was too much! Too good! Turning in Nicole’s arms, Waverly forced her to release her bite and claimed her mouth in a punishing kiss so she could release her moans and cries into the safety of her mouth rather than screaming them into the night.

********

“Well, you two sure took your time!”

Wynonna huffed in frustration and sank down in her seat with her arms folded as Aunt Gus shot her an admonishing look over the fire. That one look had her going back to every lecture her wild ways had earned her when she was growing up and had her feeling young all over again.

Blushing furiously at the knowing looks they were getting, Waverly ducked her head and busied herself fishing a couple of bottles of juice out of the cooler. “Erm, kids were still wound up,” she tried valiantly as she handed Nicole a bottle and sat down next to her on the log that had been carved into a surprisingly comfortable bench.

“So, nothing to do with all the kissing that’s got your lips all swollen—”

“I—”

“Or the hickeys all over Nicole’s neck?”

Smirking, Nicole raised her bottle in acknowledgement to Wynonna and took a sip from it. “With deductive skills like that, we might make an officer out of you yet, Earp.”

“Naw, too much paperwork for me, Haughtsauce.”

“There is paperwork with Black Badge, Wynonna.”

“Which you know full well I ignore and throw in the trash, Xavier,” she snorted. “At least BBD doesn’t have uniforms.” She gave an only slightly exaggerated gag and shuddered at the thought.

“Which my best baby looks _very_ sexy in,” Waverly purred appreciatively.

“Why must you say things like that when I’m trying to enjoy a beer?” Wynonna grumbled into the neck of the bottle pressed against her lips.

“Because it’s the truth and you are fun to torment with it,” Waverly smirked.

Tilting back her head, Nicole sipped at her drink and gazed up at the moon as the warmth from the fire and Waverly tucked into her side held back the cool night air and settled into her bones. Waverly and Wynonna’s banter washed over her in a gentle, familiar hum that had her smiling softly as they tossed light-hearted insults at each other across the fire.

“Trickett!!!”

“What the hell! You old fool!” Gus slapped at her mate's shoulder in reproach for his sudden bellow.

“Sorry,” he mumbled apologetically to everyone he had startled. “Wynonna asked me about gnomes while we were running and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the name you and Michelle gave that old gnome in the greenhouse. And, well… it just came back to me. Trickett.”

“Good lord! I’m surprised you remember that old thing,” she chuckled… then gave his shoulder another slap for the unnecessary scare. “Next time just ask and save us all the heart attacks and a trip to the hospital!”

“Oh my god! I remember that old thing. Mama let us play with it when we used to go to the greenhouse with her. Do you remember that, Wynonna?”

“Not really… Maybe Vaguely? I was probably too busy getting into trouble with Willa and Mercedes.”

“Mama loved it and wanted to take it home so it would be safe… think she said there used to be two and she didn’t want Trickett to get stolen too. Papa hated it though and wouldn’t let her,” Waverly sighed. “He got mad one time. I remember it ‘cause you and Willa weren’t with us and she made me hide under a bench alone. Papa stormed in shouting and screaming in her face. I wanted to go to her and stop him but he hit her and I got too scared to move.”

“Oh, baby—” Nicole’s heart ached for the child Waverly had been and for all the things she should never have had to see. She gently enfolded her into her arms. The move encompassing Wynonna as the other Alpha quickly moved around the fire to comfort her too.

“I-I covered my eyes so couldn’t see but I remember that he took his knife out and used it to scratch a ‘T’ across Trickett’s face. I thought he would do the same to Mama but he just hit her again and left.”

“That no good, son of a bitch!” Gus growled darkly in anger. She was furious with Ward for everything he had done and also with herself for not seeing it all in time. For not being able to get her little sister and her children out of such a bad situation. Had she really been so oblivious? Had she been so unapproachable that Michelle didn’t think she could come to her for help? Had she tried and she just hadn’t realised what Michelle was trying to tell her?

“A, ‘T’— He… He carved a ‘T’?” Slowly lifting her head, Wynonna met Nicole’s wide-eyed gaze over the top of Waverly’s head with one of her own as they both remembered where they had been and what that happened when they had last seen a gnome with a ‘T’ carved on his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - I think I got most of the way through writing this chapter before I realised that my muses had flipped the switch on how the end of the last chapter had indicated it was going to go. Sneaky muses!
> 
> But... while it didn't go the way I'd thought, we now have a name for the gnome and the reason behind his scar (damn you, Ward!). Next chapter, Waverly goes on a mission to the greenhouse... on her own o.O


	27. Chapter 27

The air was still and heavy with the heat of the midday sun that swirled around Waverly just as surely as the memories of a time that felt so far in the past that it had happened to someone other than herself, as she slowly, cautiously approached the old greenhouse with a halting stride. She had heard of it described before as ‘The Gibson Greenhouse’. And even as a child, she had sensed that it was a title more than a mere description but she hadn’t appreciated the size and grandeur that the title hinted at. And later, after her Mama had ‘left’, their Papa had forbidden for them to talk about her or the greenhouse at all as though they both went hand in hand in his mind.

Even though he had died when she was young, Papa had shaped her life so completely, terrorised her really with his harsh words and harsher fists that were always eager to strike out in one form or another. And to such a degree that despite her thirst for knowledge, Waverly had never questioned her Mama’s heritage; the people and places that had shaped her life.

The memories brought up around their fire during the full moon had awakened Waverly’s thirst and desire to learn and uncover everything that had been hidden from her until it felt like an itch beneath her skin that she had to scratch or risk going mad from trying to ignore it.

The greenhouse, ‘The Gibson Greenhouse’ stood on land that had, as its name suggested, belonged to the Gibson family and shared a border with the McCready land where Gus and Curtis now lived. Aunt Gus had explained that her parents had feared what might happen to the land once they were gone and had signed it over to the McCready family and put into trust to protect it from the Earp family as they had made it clear that they thought that the fertile farmland was in a prime location for building property on.

It was theirs and the pack could run on it but it couldn’t be sold or built upon and the greenhouse couldn’t be torn down. The provisos they had put in place had protected it but the land was currently worthless.

Waverly could only imagine how prosperous the land must have been once. The greenhouse was huge and ornate and looked more like it belonged in the grounds of a mansion, not standing alongside the remains of a home that looked not much bigger than the homestead. But the land she trod looked barren… to the point that not even the weeds fared well in the dusty ground.

The greenhouse still looked to be in surprisingly good condition though. It was dirty; its ageing white paint peeling to expose the metal and wood of the frame beneath. But it stood strong and unbowed beneath the grime; its frame showing no signs of rot or rust. And not _one_ of the many, _many_ windows in the white framed building was broken, let alone cracked even though it had been abandoned for many years and was an easy target for bored teenagers, or drunk adults wanting to take pot-shots at it like they did the welcome to Purgatory sign most weekends. And Waverly looked at them all as she circled around the vast structure; pausing at a couple to wipe the glass clean with her fist so she could peer inside.

Or at least, she tried too.

No matter where she tried or how carefully she cleaned, the view on the other side of the glass was blocked by a tangled mass of dead vines that seemed to cover every inch. Those and what Waverly was hoping were abandoned spider webs reduced what she could see too little more than shadowy hints of what lay inside.

A hint that proved to be more than enough as the sight of something that looked vaguely human had Waverly jumping back from the glass with a gasp that she strengthened to a determined growl. She might not be an Alpha, something Wynonna had been foolish to point out when she had voiced her desire to check out the greenhouse on her own, but she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and didn’t need any puffed-up Alpha to protect her!

Wynonna had relented under the weight of her glare and apologised profusely and while Waverly had accepted it; knowing that Wynonna was only being dumb because she was too close to her rut to be trusted with things like words and emotions… it had tapped into old memories. Mainly of Papa. When he could be bothered to notice her it was to scream that she was just a useless Omega like her Mama. As well as him though, there was the typical hormone ridden catcalling from her peers at school that she had had to navigate. Those were days that could be harsh for any child let alone one that was a Werewolf and an Earp.

Nicole, sweet wonderful Nicole. Had held her closer that night and let her vent out her frustration in words, tears and finally a litany of loving bites and scratches upon her body that’d had Waverly rushing out an apology in the harsh morning light when she had seen them etched into Nicole’s pale skin. Nicole had simply taken the hands she had been wringing together within the warmth of hers and gently soothed her nerves and unfurled her fingers until they were entwined with hers.

Looking at her hands, covered in dirt from the glass as they were, Waverly could still feel the press of Nicole’s lips upon them and see the smirk on her ridiculously gorgeous face as she had huskily stated that she _loved_ it when she left marks on her for everyone to see and that while she knew Waverly was more than capable of taking care of herself, if she wanted any company, she might know a Sheriff that was always just a call away.

Waverly ducked her head, shyly hiding from her reflection as a blush warmed her face at the memory of the twinkle in Nicole’s brown eyes. Her fingers inched towards the phone in her pocket ready to call her, but she stopped… not because of pride, foolish or otherwise. But simply because she knew she was okay.

And if Nicole turned up they would end up doing many things… many wonderful things… but searching the greenhouse would probably not be one of them.

Waverly straightened her shoulders, stuck her tongue out at her reflection and marched determinedly back to the tall doors that led into the greenhouse. Usually, she would bolster herself by saying it was time to ‘go all Wynonna’… but kicking the greenhouse door down was probably overkill.

“You got this, Earp! Now, try not to Earp this up…”

Reaching out, Waverly grasped a sun-warmed handle in each hand and looked up. She could remember doing the same when she was little and thinking how _big_ the doors were and how important she’d felt… almost like a princess… as she turned the handles and opened the doors into the green paradise beyond.

That was then.

Now…

The doors unlatched easily, not a squeak or groan coming from the handles or hinges. But they caught after only a couple of inches, forcing Waverly to force them open to break the hold of the brittle, dead vines and several million spider webs that had covered them at some point.

The inside of the greenhouse was warm and dry. Motes of dust dancing in a thick haze in the beams of sun that made it through the layers of dirt and grime upon the windows. Turning slowly on the spot, Waverly looked at the ornate columns of smooth wood and wrought metal that climbed upwards like trees in the forest and drew her gaze up to the canopy of the vaulted ceiling of glass above.

It was, despite the lack of greenery and life, strangely beautiful and calming.

Circling one of the wooden columns, Waverly’s hand spiralled around dips and curves that invited her to touch the ridiculously smooth wood. It was too smooth to be natural and yet it felt like it had grown there just ready for her.

She froze as her wandering fingers felt a blemish. It was an inconsequential thing and yet she felt an upwelling of emotion as she knelt down to look at the marks scored into the wood and remembered as clearly as the day I had been done looking up at her Mama, her body halloed by the sun as she had smiled down at her, her hand touching the top of her head as she had marked off her height while a man who seemed to glow with an ethereal light had gazed down at her fondly.

Waverly had no idea who the man really was. In her mind, she had painted the vague memory she had of him as her father even though she knew there could be no way that it was him. Her Pa had never looked at her like that or held her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

“How did I forget all this?” she whispered into the quiet of the greenhouse with a sad shake of her head. She couldn’t help but wonder if her Mama knew who the mysterious man had been or if she would say even if was something her still fractured memory had, or could, recall.

Brushing off her knees, Waverly made her way deeper into the greenhouse with memories dancing around her until she found the figure that had startled her through the window.

Given their recent history, being able to make out that it was a statue of an angel was still nervewracking. Especially as, unlike everything else in the greenhouse, it was pretty much dust free right down to its wings which were folded at rest against its back. Even the hands that were lifted slightly and held out in supplication as though inviting her touch, and its downcast head was so clean that the whole thing looked like it had just been dusted off or had only just been placed there.

Waverly reached out, her hovering just about the angels so that their palms were nearly touching. Fists clenching she pulled sharply back with a growl and felt almost foolish for her anger the moment she did. Her anger was for the angels that had stripped away Nicole’s ability to change, not a stone statue doomed to slowly erode in an abandoned greenhouse.

Shaking her head, Waverly backed away with a wry chuckle and swept her eyes quickly over the rest of the greenhouse. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting… answers of some kind maybe. But there was nothing but dead plants and dirt to go with the ghosts of a few brief moments of happiness from when she was a toddler. There was certainly no seven-foot gnomes like Wynonna had feared. Nor, Waverly realised, were there any smaller garden ornament variety ones.

“Waste of time,” she snorted. “Just a huge waste of time that I could have spent better on research. Well, enjoy your… _whatever_ , angel boy. I’m out of here!”

Waverly spun away, done with the greenhouse… but apparently, it, or something, wasn’t done with her as she was abruptly brought up short by a tug on the flowing fabric of her shirt. Yelping in surprise… _But_ d _efinitely not in fear…_ Waverly spun back around, her hands raised ready to slap the hell out of whoever had grabbed her!

But all there was to meet her eyes, was the statue?

The statue that was just innocently standing there in a statue kind of way while her shirt had somehow got caught up on its hands when she had turned around.

Chuckling at her own nervousness, Waverly worked to free her shirt from its grasp… Had its fingers always been in that position? She froze again, her eyes glued upon the way it seemed to be gesturing instead of merely offering its hands how it had been before.

“Okay! That’s cool. Cool, cool, cool! Totally not strange and not at all like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who! Do not send me into the past. Though, that would be kind of cool… No! Not cool! Forget I said that! Don’t move, okay? I know moves and I will turn you into a pile of dirt if you move!”

Moving her head, her body braced to run, Waverly squinted along the line of the angel's hand to where it appeared to be, but couldn’t possibly really be, gesturing to a point outside the greenhouse?

It was obviously just a coincidence… a trick of the light playing with her memory of how the statue had been standing and not that the thing had actually moved.

But…

There did seem to be something outside in the vague direction its hand ‘seemed’ to be gesturing in.

Walking backwards, her narrowed eyes trained on the statue, Waverly made her way back towards the doors. She glanced down as she fumbled to find the handles but finally, they ere in her grasp and it had only taken her a second before turning back. Her eyes flew wide when she saw that the hands of the angel statue seemed to be back in their original position.

“Don’t blink! Don’t blink! Don’t blink!”

Waverly threw herself out of the doors and managed to push them shut behind her with her feet as she tripped over herself and landed on her butt on the ground.

“Ow!” she winced, rubbing at her tenderised butt cheeks with both hands as she scrambled off the ground with both sets of cheeks flaming at her undignified tumble. “Really glad ‘Nonna wasn’t around to see that,” she grumbled under her breath. “Stupid statue! I’m never watching Doctor Who again! Who am I kidding? Thirteen and Yas are _so_ cute together!”

Waverly’s chuckle at herself sounding too high and strained to her own ears as she walked away from the greenhouse. It wasn’t until she found herself halfway back to her Jeep before she remembered the mysterious shadowy shape she had seen outside of the greenhouse and her feet stopped, rooting her to the spot as indecision filled her.

She could leave. Just get in her Jeep and drive home. No one would be any the wiser. No one would know that she had run away from what was probably nothing… Apart from herself. She would drive herself crazy wondering if there really was nothing and just end up having to come back on her own to satisfy her curiosity. That or she would drag Nicole or Wynonna with her so they could see that she had gotten scared over nothing.

Or…

She could untwist the knot that her big girl panties were bunched up in, hoist them up, and march herself on over, and see for herself right there and then that there was nothing there.

Jumbled pep talk over, Waverly spun smartly around on her heel and strode towards the scraggly patch of tall weeds and spindly shrubs that marked the area she had seen through the windows. As she walked she kept half an eye on the greenhouse and the once again shadowy area that marked where the angel statue stood watching.

Had it’s head been turned that far before?

Bone white stones were sticking up from the ground like gravestones or giants teeth and Waverly cursed her imagination as well as the book of frankly gruesome myths she had been flicking through from the Black Badge archives. Before she even reached them, Waverly was pretty much convinced that they were what she had seen… Until she saw it… Him…

“Trickett?!”

Kneeling down in the dirt, she brushed the tangle of dead weeds off the dark lump of the gnome and carefully lifted it to stand it upright. It was not a pretty gnome, it never had been even before it had been carved into by her Papa with his hunting knife. Where most garden gnomes looked like miniature Santa’s on a summer vacation with their bright colours, jolly faces and rosy cheeks, Trickett had always looked dull with his sombre, dark painted clothing and hat, and the sullen look on his face. Even the garden shears in his hands looked a little menacing.

But her Mama had loved the old thing and so had Waverly.

“Well, look at you.” Waverly cupped the weather-worn, rough cheeks of the garden ornament between her hands. “What are you doing out here, Trickett?” Sitting back on her haunches, she looked at him quizzically and whipped a smear of dark reddish dirt off his face. It wasn’t blood, it felt different than dried blood would and there was no telltale metallic scent but it didn’t match the patch of soil around the greenhouse where he was sitting.

There was no doubting that the description Nicole and Wynonna had given for the giant that had chased them at the Smugglers Saloon bared a startling resemblance to Trickett but… Trickett was a hell of a lot shorter than their attacker had been, and from her research, Waverly had read _nothing_ that even suggested that gnomes, real gnomes, had been able to change their sizes or been able to turn into stone.

“Magic or,” she looked around, her eyes raking over the barren landscape, “did someone find you and decide to use your good looks to scare people?”

Until they figured it out, Waverly decided that Trickett would be best somewhere out of the elements. Picking him up, she balanced his weight in her arms and made her way back to the greenhouse. Pushing open the door, she froze, shock shooting up her spine like an electric charge that threatened to have her long hair standing straight up.

The stone angel that had been standing right in the middle of the greenhouse was gone!

“No! Nope! NoPE! Noooooope! Oh hell no!!!! Time to leave, Trickett. Time. To. Leave!!!” Pulling the doors shut, Waverly turning smartly on her heel. With Trickett tucked under her arm she marched back to her Jeep and buckled them both in. Her eyes were wide, nostrils flared to rake in every scent for miles around, her head on a swivel for the slightest hint of danger the whole time.

**********

Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed her chair back from her desk to put some distance between herself and the paperwork that had been spread across her desk from the moment she had stepped foot into the station that morning all thanks to Sweet Grass.

The discovery of the boys’ murder on the footage found on the dash-cam had resulted in the Sheriff of Sweet Grass trying to palm the investigation off on them even though the murders had taken place in his jurisdiction. Nicole wasn’t sure if it was laziness on his part or if it was just his way of making sure it stayed out of the hands of the inept Border Patrol and actually got investigated.

Probably six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Mostly it just increased _their_ paperwork as the perps were already dead so they knew that there was technically no one to find. The fact that _their_ killer was a gnome was something Nicole was in no hurry to have spread around as that would lead to yet more paperwork with the rash of prank calls and garden ornament destruction that was sure to follow when they needed everything to stay nice and quiet so they could conduct their investigation of Bunny Loblaw without her catching wind of it. And anything to do with Sweet Grass could easily get back to her when she had easy access to many areas of the Municipal Building.

Even though the Bunny investigation had only just started, it felt like it was dragging on far too long already to Nicole with the unknown threat to Purgatory looming over their heads. If Bunny had dared to reach out to the Banditos, one of the worst and most prolific gangs in North America, there was little she wouldn’t do as far as Nicole could see.

Leaning back in her chair, Nicole gave serious consideration to Wynonna’s suggestion to bury Bunny out in the salt flats. She wouldn’t, of course, she wouldn’t… but the thought did make her smile. Not as much as the sound and sight of Waverly’s Jeep bouncing into the station parking lot did.

Shifting so she could see out of the blinds without having to adjust them, she smiled as Waverly slipped out of the Jeep, her lithe body flexing enticingly as she hurried around and pulled something from the passenger side, wrapped in the blanket she kept in the vehicle.

Nicole’s eyebrows climbed as Waverly glanced around furtively; her eyes even skirted up along the fascia of the building to the roof before moving back down again. She looked as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “What in the world are you up to, Waverly Earp?” Nicole whispered to her empty office in gentle confusion as Waverly started to tiptoe hurriedly towards the station.

Picking up her phone, Nicole quickly composed a message and sent it to Waverly. Through the closed window she heard Waverly give an adorable startled yelp as the message notification made her jump, but she also saw the way her eyes crinkled with a joy that vibrated through her body as she juggled the blanket covered object and fished her phone out with her other hand.

‘Hey babe, how’s it going? Everything ok?’

With the tip of her tongue poking out, she tapped furiously at the screen and Nicole’s phone vibrated silently in her hand.

‘Everything’s good! Cool! Just got home!’

“Home, huh?” Cocking a brow towards her window where Waverly was obviously not at home, Nicole tapped out another message and hit send.

‘Forgot my window looks out over parking, huh?’

Waverly’s eyes flew wide as she read her message and then they darted straight to her window. With her eyes fixed upon her window the whole time, Waverly slowly composed a message and made an exaggerated show of hitting send and then did a slow turn on the spot that had Nicole snorting as she read the message.

‘You’re looking at me right now? What am I wearing?’

“The same thing you were wearing when you left this morning,” Nicole informed her as she opened up her office window and leaned out. “What are you doing?”

Waverly moved closer, a wave of longing washing through her at the sight of Nicole’s stupidly perfect face and the soft smile upon her lips as she leaned out of her window. The muscles of her toned forearms exposed by rolled up sleeves popped and the way the sun lit up her hair and the shadowy dip down between her undone top buttons had her wanting to do things probably best not done where the whole town could see them. And the weight in her arms was an unfortunate reminder that she had things to do. “Is BBHate around?”

Nicole snorted softly at the description. “I’m sure she’s roaming around making everyone miserable as usual.” Leaning further out of the window, the way Waverly’s eye focussed in like hopeful laser beams on the gap in her shirt as she did so, Nicole nodded at the bundle in her arms. “Now then, Ms Earp, what—”

“Take this!” Waverly thrust Trickett into Nicole’s hands with enough force to push her back through the window. “Make way!”

Quickly putting the strange bundle down on the floor, Nicole offered a hand and helped Waverly through the window as she jumped up onto the ledge and scrambled in with ease. “Waves! As much as I love the eagerness… there _is_ a perfectly good door just twenty-foot or so down that way.”

“Twenty-foot too far!” Doing a quick sweep around the perimeter of the office, Waverly pulled down all the blinds along the way, moving swiftly until she was once more standing in front of her. “That’s better.” Grabbing Nicole by the front of her shirt, Waverly pulled her into a hard kiss. She felt too wound up. Her nerves on edge after what had happened at the greenhouse and Nicole seemed to instinctively sense her disquiet and brought her gradually down from ravenous that was bordering on desperation to a level where their kisses were sweet and dripped with a sensual slowness.

“That better?”

Murmuring in agreement as well as appreciation against Nicole’s lips, Waverly tried to deepen their kiss but Nicole managed to skillfully keep the contact light and held her firmly enough that Waverly knew she wasn’t going to be swayed.

Cracking open her eyes, Waverly untangled her fingers from Nicole’s hair and smoothed down the edges of her collar and tried not to pout too much.

“Hey,” she nudged the tip of her nose against Waverly’s, pulling a soft smile from her. “What’s going on? Was everything okay at the greenhouse?” Drawing back she ran her eyes over Waverly’s body, looking for even the smallest sign that she was hurt.

“Things were,” Waverly frowned a little, her lips pursing as she went over everything in her mind. On the way back into Purgatory she’d started second guessing herself and had halfway managed to convince herself that she’d gone a little greenhouse crazy on some ancient pollen trapped inside… even though that made about as much sense as a moving statue… But now, even with Nicole’s soft loving gaze focussed upon her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go over what had happened more than once. “Things were… it was a little… crazy,” she admitted.

“Crazy, how?”

Waverly tightened her fingers in Nicole’s shirt, holding her close before she could make a move to step back when she desperately needed the closeness.

“Waves, you’re starting to worry me a little. Are you okay?”

“Yeah?”

“Waves—” Nicole frowned at the uncertainty in Waverly’s voice.

“Yes, I’m fine,” nodding, Waverly ran her hands across Nicole’s shoulders, smoothing out non-existent creases in the fabric. “I am. I would just rather get it, all the explanations and stuff, all out of the way with everyone at the same time than go over it all over and over again.” That way there was less chance that she would talk herself out of anything. “Are they all in?” she nodded towards the BBD offices across from the bullpen.

“Hmm, I don’t think anyone left while I was buried in paperwork.”

“Okay! Come on! Could you bring that for me, babe?” Trailing her fingertips across Nicole’s jaw, she ghosted a kiss across Nicole’s kiss-swollen lips and skipped away teasingly as Nicole’s eyes darkened.

“Sure.” Nicole shook her head, fighting off the Waverly induced stupor. She was tempted to take a look beneath the blanket as she picked it up the bundle and see what was there but whatever it was, it was for Waverly to reveal. “JD, I’ll be over in BBD if you need me for anything.”

“Sure thing, boss!”

**********

They were different departments. Black Badge had nothing to do with the Sheriff’s Department any more than the offices on the other floors were; even though BBD could swoop in and take cases out from under their noses if they wanted. But… Nicole always felt a moment of disquiet and being generally irked, especially on a day like that when she was swimming in paperwork, to follow Waverly into BBD and see most of the team taking advantage of the general lack of cases.

It wasn’t fair of her, she knew that. They were busy researching the hell out of Bunny… but they just never looked like it. Especially Wynonna and Doc who looked like they were about to fall asleep at their desks.

Yeah, irked was an apt description.

And unfortunately, Wynonna knew!

“’Sup, Red? You look like you just sucked on a lemon. Have I got something on my boot?” Smirking, Wynonna popped her doughnut into her mouth and held it safely in her teeth as she lifted a foot off her desk and made a dramatic show of checking the bottom of her boots one at a time.

Nicole huffed and held her tongue behind the prison of firmly clenched teeth and lips at Wynonna’s antics. Following a vague gesture from Waverly, she placed Waverly’s… whatever the hell it was… on the space left by Wynonna shifting her feet. She’d barely got it settled in place before Waverly was taking a deep breath as though stealing herself for something and quickly working to remove the blanket covering it.

Nicole was insanely glad she didn’t stop to blink and also kind of regretted the fact that she Waverly hadn’t pre-warned her so she could video the moment that Wynonna looked up and came face to face with the ugly gnome inches away from her. With her foot still on her own lap she threw herself backwards in her chair and toppled it and herself onto the floor and bounced up a split second later; doughnut still remarkably clasped between her teeth. Her blue eyes staring out from above the doughnut were startlingly blue and as big as saucers as her gun shook in her hands.

Nicole would have loved to have recorded that moment but she was too busy trying to act like she hadn’t jumped to place herself between Waverly and what appeared to be a perfectly normal, ugly but normal, garden gnome that wasn’t even two-foot tall.

“Wha-Waverly! What in the actual fuck?!”

“It’s Trickett. I found him outside the greenhouse.” Stepping out from behind Nicole, Waverly gave her arm a squeeze and scowled at Wynonna. “Seriously? Put your gun away, ‘Nonna. Don’t you dare damage him!” she growled out as Wynonna poked at the gnome with the barrel of her gun with enough force that the two coming together made a dull PLINK’ing sound.

“Waves… why is it here?” Nicole whispered out of the corner of her mouth. She could see the confusion and amusement on the faces of Doc and everyone else but, damn it, they hadn’t been chased around the countryside by the gnomes much bigger, more stab-y, cousin.

“I was thinking of taking it home… don’t worry,” she added as Nicole and Wynonna let out strangled gasps. “I’m not stupid. Not going to have something like this with unknown providence near the kids.”

“But… here was okay?”

“Here we have places to put it… And I kind of had a hint that I should take it.” Looking around even though the door was shut, Waverly made a hesitant wing fluttering gesture that barely saw her hands lifting above the height of her waist.

Cocking her head, Wynonna mimicked Waverly’s strange motion and took a wild guess. “A flock of birds told you?”

“Seagulls! I bet it was seagulls!” Robin suggested helpfully.

“Angels?” Nicole guessed, her lips compressing into an even firmer line at the thought of them messing in their lives again.

“Wait,” Robin turned wide eyes to Jeremy, “they’re real? I thought everyone was kidding about that! Some kind of metaphor or something!”

“I wish,” Nicole sighed. “Was it Kevin again?”

“Not exactly… I’m not sure?” Waverly chewed on her lip and twisted her hands together nervously. This was the part of what had happened that made her question her own sanity. The part that whispered that she should say nothing.

“Waves,” Nicole stilled the restless motion of her hands once more and drew her eyes to meet hers. There was such uncertainty locked behind her eyes that went beyond what a visit to a greenhouse or the discovery of a garden gnome should have brought about. But… if angels were involved… “You can tell us anything, baby. If you prefer we can go back to my office but if those feathered bastards are involved they could be trying to stop you from saying what you need to.”

“I don’t think it’s that… it just all sounds so silly and I don’t want you thinking I’m just some silly Omega that spooks easily and sees things.”

“Baby, being Alpha or Omega means nothing. _You_ are the strongest person I know. Not the strongest Omega, just the strongest. Anyway, your sister… our Pack Alpha at that… just drew her gun on a garden ornament,” Nicole whispered with a smirk aimed in Wynonna’s direction.

“Hey, in my defence that is one _ugly_ gnome!”

“You leave Trickett alone.” Waverly patted the old gnome gently on the head.

“Naming it doesn’t make it any less ugly. Hey, Haughtcop, how about you lock this thing in the cells?”

“You want me to lock a garden ornament in the cells?”

“Did I stutter? And yeah. Ya know, in case it decides to change size and go on a murderous, stabby rampage.”

“And have Bunny wander on by and see it?” Even if she didn’t, just imagining it had Nicole certain that she wouldn’t have a job to return to the next day if _anyone_ saw a garden gnome languishing in one of the holding cells.

“So, just tell her we arrested her latest boyfriend or— Oh! We got her a stripper! God, both of those sound horrifying!” Wynonna shuddered violently at the very idea of Bunny with anyone.

“Maybe some magical restraints might be in order?” Xavier offered up the suggestion in the hopes of getting things moving in some kind of direction. “Gretta might know of something we could use.”

“I tried calling Gretta on the way here,” Waverly grimaced. “She wasn’t exactly welcoming.” Which was putting it mildly with how the other woman had screamed like a banshee from the bowels of hell down the phone at her and told her never to contact her again before cutting the call off.

“It’s not you, Waves. She’s been like that with everyone lately,” Nicole sighed. “I thought her therapy was going okay but she’s just gotten worse and now she’s not letting anyone get close. Doesn’t matter if they’re pack or not. We’re not giving up on her but we can’t exactly force her to do anything when she’s just grieving in her own way.”

“I just feel so bad—”

“Waves, it wasn’t your family that killed Mattie.”

“And it wasn’t yours either,” Waverly stated firmly, her tone brooking no argument from Nicole.

“Are you going to spill on what happened at the greenhouse or not then? ‘Cause, if not I would _really_ like to get this thing off my desk.”

Waverly focussed upon Nicole as she recounted everything she had seen and done from the moment she had arrived at the greenhouse. Nicole’s steady, encouraging gaze buoyed her up and kept her from stumbling over the things she had convinced herself were some kind of fever-state brought on by pollen poisoning until, words tripping over themselves, she raced to the end of her account and looked around.

Doc turned his hat around and around in his hands. Meeting Waverly’s gaze he settled it down before him on his desk and flicked the brim with his finger. “You are sure you did not imagine the angel?”

“I’m sure I saw it in the greenhouse and then I’m sure it was gone… the pointing? That I’m not too sure about,” Waverly admitted with a small voice.

“My apologies if it made it seem as though I was questioning you too harshly then, Waverly.” Leaving his chair, Doc gently enfolded her in a warm hug. “I _know_ you saw what you saw but I honestly believe I would prefer it if there was some doubt as to that.”

“You do? Why?”

“With all that the angels have done. For what they did to Nicole. I am not sure if it is more terrifying to think that you might have been alone with one of them or that it was a statue that moved on its own. Both sound terrifying,” he shuddered.

Waverly looked from his face to those of everyone there, seeing the earnest expressions on their faces. “I-I thought for sure you would think I was crazy or over-reacting.”

“Leave the crazy over-reacting to me, baby girl. It is what I do best.”

Smiling softly in thanks, Waverly simply brushed the liberal dusting of powdered sugar off the tip of Wynonna’s nose for her.

“So, what’s our next move then?” Waverly looked around at everyone hopefully.

“I think we need to go look at the greenhouse.”

“Ugh, I was afraid you were going to suggest that.” Huffing loudly so everyone would know how she felt about it all, Wynonna thumped her boots against the floor and stood up, her eyes trained on the gnome to make sure there was no reaction from the ugly thing. “I want this damn thing locked away though! Properly locked away, Haught! I don’t want to go steal stationery supplies later and find this thing guarding the paperclips!”

“I _knew_ that was you! Seriously, what do you need with so many? Nedley actually asked me the other week if I was trying to get scrap metal prices on them or opening up a market stall.”

“Hmm, I never thought of anything like that… I just needed something to shoot at Jeremy with all the elastic bands I stole last month.”

Nicole could see all kinds of things wrong with that but she held her tongue knowing by the smirk on her face that Wynonna was just waiting for a response so she could wind her up some more. She couldn’t restrain the eye roll she gave her as she wrapped the garden gnome back up and picked it up though… she tried but it was just impossible.

“Ass!” Apparently holding her tongue was impossible too.

Waverly wagged a finger in warning at Wynonna and followed after Nicole’s long-legged stride. “Where are you putting him?”

“Holding.”

“Really?” A tingle of arousal shot down her spine as Nicole threw a smirk over her shoulder and gestured for her to follow. Something she was all too willing to do as the view was pretty darn amazing.

The holding area was empty and quiet with it being a weekday. Come the weekend there would no doubt be a drunk or two sleeping off the effects of a bender or a fight but with Bobo’s pack gone and Wynonna working on the side of the law, members of their pack taking up space was becoming a rare occurrence.

Right then it served them well as there was no one around to witness the strange goings-on as Nicole placed the old gnome carefully in a corner of the cell and then, with her help, steadily filled a good part of the cell up with boxes and general unclaimed junk items that were taking up space in the evidence room.

“There!” Locking the cell, Nicole pocketed the key and stepped back. “That should keep it, him,” she corrected herself at the look Waverly shot her. “Keep him safe and away from prying eyes.”

“Super smart.” Bouncing up onto the tips of her toes, Waverly planted a kiss on Nicole’s cheek, catching the edge of her dimple as it popped perfectly in response. As she turned for one last look at the cell to make sure everything was covered, Nicole’s arms gently enfolded her, easing her back into the warm curve of her body. “I’m sure it seems silly to you.”

Tilting her head, Nicole gazed quizzically at Waverly’s profile. “What’s that, baby?”

“How much I’m fussing over that old thing. Until I was back in that greenhouse I didn’t realise how much of that time with Mama I had blocked out. Papa didn’t exactly encourage us to talk about her after she was gone and those times… well, they’re muddled in my memory but I remember being happy for most of it. We were away from his mean temper and fists. Free to just play and be happy as long as he didn’t find us. I have got so many good memories now. Amazing ones because of you—”

“Even when our life is in danger?”

“Yes!” Crinkling her nose at Nicole’s interruption, Waverly tugged gently on her hair, pulling her into a lopsided kiss. “Even then. Back then, not so much. It was snatched moments in a ratty old greenhouse… god knows why Mama picked there of all places… But Trickett was a part of those good memories. I used to have tea parties with him while Mama—”

Nicole glanced back down, searching Waverly’s puzzled expression as her voice trailed away into the past. “While Mama, what?” she prompted softly.

“I— Nicole— I keep remembering someone else being there. A man. He was nice and played with us and Mama was happy when he was there. Do you think?”

Nicole breathed in deeply. “I think that your Mama was deeply unhappy with your father. As to if she was involved with anyone else… only she knows for sure—”

“Maybe,” Waverly pointed out.

“True,” Nicole grimaced slightly. “But, you said that he was nice and made her happy? Maybe that was all she needed?”

“Or maybe she was having sex with him.”

“Yeah… but I was _really_ trying not to think about your Mama having sex. The point is though, he made her and made you happy. Right? Unless your Mama remembered anything else, just take that memory away from it.”

“Super, super smart.”

“I have to be to keep up with you and the kids. Now, you ready to head back to the greenhouse for another look?”

Waverly turned in quickly in Nicole’s arms, catching her unawares as she pressed her back against the wall. “With you at my side, I’m ready for anything.”

“Technically I’m not at your side right—” A finger pressed to her lips sealed off the rest of her teasing.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As Waverly’s restraining finger dropped away, Nicole dipped her head, her lips already tingling in anticipation before they even brushed across the plump softness of Waverly’s.

“See, so smart.”

Moaning thickly, intent on savouring the moment for as long as they could, Waverly blocked out where they were and melted into Nicole’s kiss.

**********

Returning back to the greenhouse so soon felt surreal. The passage of time was short. The position of the sun hanging above the old glass building pretty was much the same. Even the air smelt and tasted the same to her.

And yet, it felt different.

There had been an almost magical feel created by the stillness and the outpouring of memories before. Now. There was too much chatter around her as everyone climbed from their vehicles seemingly determined to talk all at the same time. And even though she loved them all, it just changed everything and stripped away the magic to leave a dirty old greenhouse on a barren plot of land that had somehow managed to remain standing.

And then…

Nicole’s hand slipped into hers.

Waverly looked down at their linked hands as the chatter fell away to a background hum and she felt anchored by the contact. Pressing a kiss to Nicole’s shoulder, Waverly gave her hand a ‘thank you’ squeeze.

“Guys, could you work on taking samples and doing stuff out here… mind you don’t trample anything,” she warned Jeremy and Rosita. “And keep the noise down until we know everything is clear.”

“Pretty sure it’s clear out here, Haught,” Wynonna pointed out with a quiet snort as she gestured with a sweep of her arm to the desolate land around them.

“We’re about to trample of more than just ground here Wynonna. Memories are important too so show a little respect,” nodding her head, she made Wynonna focus on her sister and saw the moment of understanding cross her face. “Also I would prefer them to keep quiet and focused just in case anything is still here.”

Wynonna’s steps faltered and she looked around nervously. “Thanks. I was kind of trying to convince myself that this place wasn’t all that creepy.”

“Pleasure,” Nicole drolled.

“Why is nothing growing here? From what Gus and Curtis said this was prime farming land, it should be overgrown and teeming with life but it looks like the earth got salted.”

“Not salted!”

Rosita rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Jeremy! Stop licking dirt!”

“Think we should point out all the animal scat he probably just ate?”

“Naw, he would only lick it again and give us an exact reading on exactly how much and what species.” Patting Nicole on the shoulder, Wynonna gave her a quick nudge to get her moving again. Her feelings of bravado slipped away once more as they neared the doors to the greenhouse. It was kind of eerie in a supernatural kind of way how well the building had stood up to the elements and vandals over the years. “If I’d remembered this was here I would have taken a couple of these windows out myself.”

“A couple? Earp, I saw the reports Nedley kept on you. _All of them!_ In your prime, you would have burnt this place to the ground and danced in the ashes just for the hell of it.”

“Ahhh, good times. Good times,” she chuckled.

“And yet,” Nicole continued as though Wynonna hadn’t said anything at all. “It’s still standing, so maybe some _thing_ wanted it to stay untouched.”

“Thanks for the renewed creep out moment there, Haught.”

“You’re welcome, Earp.”

They fell silent, a moment of reverence… and nervous tension making them hold their breath as they stopped either side of Waverly at the tall double doors. Nicole placed a gentle hand on Waverly’s shoulder and soothed away the tremors running through her slender frame. “We’re right here, baby.”

Nodding, Waverly grasped the handles and opened the doors once more. The magic of the place was still there dancing in the motes of dust and the stillness caught within the greenhouse. The one thing definitely missing though was the statue and Waverly couldn’t help but feel nervous again and she looked at the empty patch of ground where it had been.

“It’s not here,” she frowned.

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t, Waves.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because _you_ said you saw it. And I will always believe you just as I will always be by your side,” smiling in soft reassurance, Nicole felt Waverly’s nose crinkle in wonderment at her unquestioning acceptance as she kissed the tip of it. “And,” she drawled out with a knowing smile.

“And?”

Taking Waverly’s hand in hers, she led her closer and nodded down to a patch of trampled dirt. “And, you stood right here for some time and I can’t see a reason for it other than you were looking at something right here.” She waved a hand through the air right in front of the footprints.

“Look at you being all Haughtdetective and shit.”

“It is kind of my job, Earp.”

“And God, it’s so sexy.”

Nicole ducked her head, a blush blazing a trail across her cheeks at the purr in Waverly’s voice.

Throwing up her hands, Wynonna walked away and went to investigate on her own before she had to watch them get all lovey-dovey again. She had to admit, the greenhouse had a kind of charm to it; albeit a slightly creepy kind that _almost_ had her wishing she was outside with the others; until a glance out of a window from between withered vines revealed Jeremy once more with his tongue attached to something he probably really shouldn’t be licking. Shaking her head, she went back to rummaging around cautiously amongst a pile of ornate pots.

The greenhouse was strangely bigger than she remembered. Usually, places visited in childhood seemed smaller when you were an adult… spatial awareness or some such nerd nonsense, and simply because you were bigger. The greenhouse though was defying all nerd logic and seemed to have gone all TARDIS in Wynonna’s eyes.

Which was not helping her feel any more comfortable about being there!

Her fingers grazed upon a scratch upon one of the columns in passing. It was such an inconsequential thing to focus upon, but Wynonna found herself stopping and leaning closer. Her hands and eyes traced the series of marks notched in the wood. There weren’t many but what there were, should have been with hers and Willa’s at the homestead, not etched in the wood of an abandoned greenhouse like a secret… No, like Waverly was the secret.

Waverly was, hands down, the best of them but he had treated her like she was a secret to be pushed aside and hidden away. Then, after he’d thought he’d killed Mama, things had gotten worse to the point that he had all but tried to kill Waverly. And he might have succeeded if those ghostly riders hadn’t turned up when they had.

Wynonna lifted her head, her eyes meeting Waverly’s across the greenhouse. Standing up, she uncurled her fingers from the fists they had made and marched right on over to her baby sister. Without a word, she swept her clean off her feet into a fierce hug that had the air leaving Waverly’s lungs in a muted ‘meep’.

“Wy—” Waverly’s confused protests were cut off by lack of oxygen and the suddenly intent look on Wynonna’s face as she planted her firmly back on the ground like she was trying to drive her heels into the dirt, and the firm grip of warm hands that cupped her face, smooshing her mouth into a puckered O with the intensity of her grip.

“ _You_ , Waverly Earp, are the very best of us. Never, _ever_ forget that!”

Waverly stood there in bemusement; though it wasn’t as though she had much of a say in it until, as suddenly as she had grabbed her, Wynonna drooped her hands and stepped back a pace. Sniffling heavily she swiped at the tears in her eyes with the sleeve of her leather jacket and turned away. Before Waverly could do more than take a breath let alone think of saying anything, Wynonna snapped back around and Waverly found herself going cross-eyed trying to focus on the raised finger quivering a hairsbreadth away from the tip of her nose.

“Ne-Ver!”

“Ohh-kay?”

“Good. Good.” Suddenly feeling deflated, Wynonna stepped back and let her arm drop to her side. “I- erm- I’m going to go see if the boys need any help.” Rubbing at the back of her neck, she moved past them… once she remembered which direction the door was in.

“Wynonna?” Waverly called softly after her sister.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl. Yell if any statues turn up,” she chuckled with a renewed feeling of strength and desire to torment.

“And you, Earp! Don’t forget, there’s another gnome missing too!”

“Damn it! You had to go and spoil it didn’t you, Haught!?”

“Part of my job description as Sheriff, mate-in-law, and sassy Earp wrangler.”

“I don’t need to know the kinky shit that goes on in your bedroom, Haught.”

“Bedroom?” Nicole snorted. “Oh, Earp, we don’t limit ourselves like that.”

Waverly shook her head at their antics as Nicole laughed at the sassy middle finger Wynonna threw her way over her shoulder. “I think I preferred it when you two were just all broody and sullen with each other.”

Hooking her thumbs into the front of her utility belt, Nicole made a pretence of thinking. “Ahhh, yes, I remember that. Back in the good old days when she only used to talk about killing me.” She chuckled and captured Waverly’s hands before she could land a second stinging blow to her shoulder. Reeling her in, she wrapped Waverly up in her arms, trapping her with her back to her despite her chuckled protests.

Nuzzling her nose into Waverly’s neck she pressed a kiss to her pulse as they swayed together in the silence that had settled around them.

“I can see why you liked it here as a kid.”

“You can?”

“Well, I’m not saying that the ambience is the best but, you had the ones around you that you loved and that always helps. Yeah, I can just see you running around in here. Where did you use to have your tea parties with Trickett?”

“Over there somewhere.”

“Show me?”

Waverly turned in Nicole’s arms slightly. If Wynonna had asked that she would have expected to find her lips twisted into a teasing smirk, but Nicole’s expression was one of genuine wonder and curiosity that had Waverly smiling as she took Nicole’s hand and led her across the greenhouse. Her steps felt lighter like she was stepping back through time. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have known Nicole back then? To wonder if Nicole would have run off to be one of the cool kids and play with Wynonna, or if she would have been her friend?

“Waverly, I can’t imagine there would be any time or any kind of alternate universe where I wouldn’t choose you, baby.”

“Was— Did—” Grabbing Nicole by the front of her shirt, Waverly nearly yanked her off her feet as she pulled her down until their eyes were level. “Did you guess what I was thinking then or did you hear me?”

“Ow!” Nicole protested as Waverly poked her forehead with a demanding finger. “Wait! You asked out loud, right?”

“No!” Grinning wildly, Waverly snatched a kiss from Nicole’s shocked lips. “I thought I felt a few things before but I wasn’t sure if I really was or if it was just wishful thinking on my part!”

“I heard you. It was faint though. But I still can’t shift though, Waves,” Nicole pointed out in an effort to contain the excitement they were both feeling at the revelation that their connection was still there.

“I know,” Waverly sighed brokenly as she sagged against her.

“Hey,” Nicole gently lifted Waverly chin with a finger. “I’ve missed being able to feel and hear you, Waves. And if this is all we get back… then I am beyond stoked. Now,” smiling, she brushed her thumb across the high sweep of Waverly’s cheeks. “How about you show me where you used to play and we’ll explore _that_ later.”

Waverly’s hand gently tugged her along with an eagerness she could feel racing through her own body, and Nicole went willingly. The admittance and realisation that they could still feel a part of their connection had felt like a floodgate had been opened within her; a realisation of just how much of that was still there. Muted, yes. But she could feel her.

With eyes locked, they knelt together on the ground, unmindful of the dirt coating their clothes. Sunlight muted by the remnants of vines and the dirt smeared on the glass danced through the windows that leant a dreamlike quality to the air and a halo around Waverly’s body. Even though Waverly had never visited the greenhouse when it was alive with plants, Nicole couldn’t help but wonder and imagine how much more beautiful it would look with the sun turned to shades of dappled green as it shone through leaves. More beautiful by far though was the twinkle in Waverly’s eyes right there and then as she brought out an old wooden crate covered in scraps of paper from underneath a bench and discovered that the tiny plastic teapot and cups and saucers she’d played with were still there.

“Oh, my god! I always wondered where these had ended up!” Waverly chuckled in delight.

Nicole picked up one of the pieces of paper laid out as a makeshift tablecloth to get a better look at the colourful lines and squiggles upon it that had been exposed as Waverly had picked up the teapot. Mindful of how delicate the paper would be after so many years, she blew more of the dust away to reveal more of it.

“You drew while you were here.”

“I did?” Waverly scooted around in the dirt and looked at the piece of paper as Nicole held it out for her to see. “Oh… I did! I forgot about that.” She ran her fingers across the crayoned stick figures as Nicole carefully excavated drawing after drawing from beneath the dust and grime of nearly twenty years.

They were just typical drawings done by a child; garishly coloured stick figures with badly spelt out names above them. There were some that were obviously supposed to be at the homestead and others that were from the greenhouse. It was heart-breaking to see that in the ones that Waverly had drawn of home with Ward in them, the tiny stick figure of Waverly was always sad and drawn as far from Ward as the paper and Waverly’s imagination would allow. The ones of the greenhouse were more cheerful and had typical additions one would expect from a child with an active imagination.

Only…

Knowing what they did…

While the addition of Trickett wasn’t really a surprise…

The figure of a man with wings done in thick lines of yellow to represent a glow… That was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp... that chapter kind of go away from me. Never written one that long before. Doesn't make it good, lol, just means I couldn't get to a point to stop.  
> It kind of exhausted myself and my poor muses with all the editing so not sure when the next update will be.


	28. Chapter 28

Waverly didn’t even realise that she had moved let alone that she was scrambling back across the floor of the greenhouse until Nicole’s hands gently caught hers, anchoring her. Blinking, she dragged her eyes away from the stack of drawings wrinkled by age and latched on to Nicole’s eyes and her concerned but steady gaze.

“Nicole, what does it mean?” her voice sounded high and desperate to her own ears. As though drawn by them against her will, her eyes returned once more to the drawing on the top of the pile and the angel she had drawn upon it so many years ago.

Reaching behind her without even taking her eyes off Waverly, Nicole turned the drawing face down to give Waverly some respite from it. “It could mean nothing, Waves. You did draw unicorns and dragons too,” Nicole pointed out with a soft smile against the backs of Waverly’s hands as she covered the soft skin there with gentle, soothing kisses; willing the hands within hers to unfurl and relax.

“You don’t believe that though do you?”

“No,” Nicole admitted with a sigh, her head dropping slightly at the accusation in Waverly’s voice. “No, I don’t. It’s too much of a coincidence to deny no matter how much I want to. As to what it means? I’m not sure.”

“He seemed so _nice_. From what I remember anyway,” she whispered. Looking back through the years, she tried to remember if there was anything that might have suggested otherwise but it was so very long ago that she could barely remember anything other than the feeling of ‘nice’.

“He probably was. Your Mama was saved and protected by Juan Carlo for years. And, despite the shitty assed way he went about it, he risked his life so we could stop the murders. And while I ended up wolfless, Julian did help you to save my life.”

“True. I still kind of hate them for their interfering non-interfering ways though. Oh, poop!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Does— Do— Does that mean Mama was schtupping an angel? Okay, you can stop laughing now,” Waverly ordered, slapping Nicole’s shoulder firmly as she made a choking, spluttering kind of noise that soon became a giggle that her Alpha was failing miserably to hide.

“Oh, Waves. I can say honestly that that was a question I never expected today. Or ever. Wouldn’t mind having a word with them about their idea of not interfering if they were schtupping though.”

“If who was schtupping?”

“Erm…”

Even if Nicole hadn’t heard the muted but desperate cry of _‘help’_ through her connection with Waverly, it was written clearly on her face and the way her eyes went as wide as saucers as Wynonna sauntered into the greenhouse on surprisingly silent feet and came up behind her.

“Just talking about a show we like to watch, Earp.”

“With schtupping in it? Sounds like fun.”

While Waverly distracted Wynonna with some gossip about a reality show that Nicole could only hope wasn’t a real thing with how she was spinning it, Nicole discreetly moved the crate along with all the drawings back out of sight until Waverly felt like sharing their Mama’s possible indiscretions with an angel with her sister… preferably when Wynonna wasn’t so on edge with her impending rut.

“You found nothing in here then?”

“Nothing but dirt and memories. Is there anything outside?”

“Nothing but dirt… all of which Jeremy is trying to eat,” Wynonna snorted. “He just found a patch of dirt over there in the weeds and got so excited I thought he was going to roll in it.”

The general direction of the wave Wynonna gave had the hair on the back of Waverly’s neck rising. “That’s in the direction I found Trickett.”

“Hmm. Well before I came in here—”

“You mean escaped.”

“— to see how my favourite slackers were doing. Jer was muttering something about Haught’s jacket? And wanting to take a sample from your concrete friend.”

Nicole grumbled beneath her breath at the thought of her jacket. Yeah, she had a couple or five of them all the same. It was a necessity in any line of work where coming into contact with blood and other even less delightful bodily fluids was a possibility. But that one, that jacket, that one had been one of her favourites until Chetri had decided it needed extra ventilation in the name of science.

“Come on,” Waverly patted Nicole gently on the cheek and gave Wynonna a firm shove in the direction of the door. “I think we’ve found all we’re going to in here… which was nothing,” she rushed to add on as Wynonna’s brows started to knit together. “Let’s go check on what’s going on outside.”

As Waverly rushed ahead, Wynonna pulled Nicole back a step. “So, you really found nothing?”

“Just memories, Earp. And until Waverly is ready—”

“We make her drink grape soda until it comes out of her nose?”

“What?! No! Jesus, you ass! You wait until she’s ready!”

“Sometimes you are just no fun at all, Haught.”

Rolling her eyes, Nicole walked away to catch up to Waverly. “Try not to be too long, Earp!” she threw back over her shoulder; interrupting Wynonna’s narrowed eyed glance towards where they had hidden the drawings. “That statue Waverly saw could turn up again! See, I can be fun,” she chuckled as Wynonna darted past her.

“That! That was the opposite of fun!”

Looping her arm through the crook of Nicole’s elbow, Waverly rose up and planted a quick kiss on her cheek; lingering long enough to whisper low enough so only she would hear. “Thanks, babe.”

“Any time,” Nicole whispered back.

Arm in arm, they followed Wynonna’s hurried path towards where the others were waiting at a much more sedate pace. Their bodies moved together in a perfect rhythm that had them brushing together with each step with a ease most couples failed to achieve even after decades together.

Doc and Xavier seemed to have been relegated to pack animals by Jeremy’s sample-gathering enthusiasm. They each had a dazed, glassy look in their eyes that, looking at the bewildering array of sample bags and clear tubes and boxes they were laden down by, Nicole could well understand. Seeing the gleam in Jeremy’s eyes when he saw them, Nicole kept herself, and especially her clothing, out of his reach.

“Find anything interesting while I was gone?”

“I won’t know for sure until we’ve had the chance to go over all the samples in detail—”

“Yes,” Rosita interrupted him. Even surrounded by powerful Werewolves as she was, she didn’t feel safe there.

“We can’t know that for sure, Rosie!”

“Jer, I’m a nymph, not much of one, but I can tell.”

“Out of the way sample-boy!” brushing Jeremy aside, Wynonna forged a path to Rosita, getting so close that their noses were almost touching. “What can you tell?”

Blinking, Rosita pulled back so she could focus her eyes and mind. “Clarke would probably be able to say for sure—”

“Clarke isn’t here right now, _you_ are.”

“The best way I can describe it is by how it feels. And it feels like the ground has been salted by tears of sadness and sorrow.”

**********

Rosita’s words echoed around and around Waverly’s head long after they had been spoken; filling her with a sense of sadness as she leaned against the side of her Jeep and looked out across the sprawling expanse of land that belonged to her family. What could have happened there? And what part, if any, did the angels play in it?

Huffing at herself, Waverly dragged her thoughts back to the here and now and turned back to the others who were busy spreading files and reports across the hood of her Jeep like they were just meeting around a table and not in the middle of nowhere. Xavier had said it was so they wouldn’t draw attention by turning up at one house together. Waverly internally called BS on that as they were still all turning up together but the childish glee on his face and the fire of anticipation in his eyes at the bizarre subterfuge held her tongue silent just as it did everyone else. Including Jeremy who after his frenzied dirt licking was now looking green at the thought that he had been tasting ‘tears of sadness and sorrow’.

“I know it’s a little soon for us to have discovered much yet but, as there is a need for an element of subterfuge so as not to trigger Loblaw into doing anything worse or sending her into hiding where we can’t touch her, I thought it best that we keep up-to-date on what everyone knows.”

“So what do we know, boss of my heart? Apart from the obvious that Bun Bun is a raging bitch. Who I am still up for burying her in the salt plains… just so that option doesn’t get taken off the table, erm, hood,” Wynonna amended as she looked at the now dusty red paintwork beneath her elbows.

Running her fingers over it, she unconsciously frowned as she brushed the dust back and forth between the tips of her fingertips. When she was younger, Wynonna couldn’t wait to get away and shake the dirt of Purgatory from beneath her heels. Now, the dirt was embedded beneath her nails and claws. It clung to her clothes, hair and fur and was ingrained in her pores. Once it would have been an annoyance; a reminder of everything bad in her life. Now, it was her land, her pack, her _family_ , and she kind of loved it.

The silence surrounding her, and the sight of her reflection in the Jeep’s windscreen smiling sappily back at her, brought Wynonna crashing back to awareness. Clearing her throat she brushed her dusty fingers off on Xavier’s shoulder and waved her hand for him to continue.

“Anyway,” shaking his head, Xavier turned his attention back to the matter at hand. “Go on, Jeremy. Actually, it might be best if you repeat all that again.”

“Yeah, sure. Okay,” shuffling through the papers before him, Jeremy found the one he needed. “Robin is still going through the audio. The first pass didn’t give us much more than before other than… yeah, he’s pretty sure that Gibson is mentioned. I couldn’t hear it but he’s adamant… to the point that he kicked me off of his team because I didn’t believe him,” he muttered under his breath.

“His ears are better trained for that kind of thing, Jer,” Waverly consoled her friend kindly. Catching Wynonna throwing up jazz hands she gave her sister a glare and swift elbow in the side before Jeremy could see her.

“You’re right. Gives me more time to work on the science side though. Can’t _wait_ to get to work on this lot!” he waved his hands enthusiastically towards all the samples he’d collected.

“Not just going by taste then?”

“I will have you know that taste is a valid tool.”

“Scat, Jeremy. That’s all I’m going to say, scat.”

“I have to follow my instincts, Wynonna. Which reminds me, I need to get a sample off the gnome to compare it to ones from here and from Nicole’s jacket!” He stepped back sharply, his enthusiasm dropping as Nicole gave him a look that said she was giving serious thought to ripping his head off. “Which I totally should have swabbed instead of hacking into… sorry.”

“You better only be thinking of swabbing Trickett too, Jeremy! No smashing pieces off.”

“Well, I was thinking just a little—” he held his thumb and finger apart to indicate a size that would be ideal but Waverly looked anything but impressed by the two-inch gap.

“Swab!”

“I really needed a bigger sample, I wanted to run some particle analysis and carbon dating— but yeah, I’ll swab,” he agreed quickly as the usually softly smiling, always gentle, Waverly managed to give him a look that was even fiercer than Nicole’s.

“Rosita—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he just swabs. That gnome could be, at the very least, imbued with the magic from the land,” she reminded him. “Or it could be a murderous seven-foot gnome that will not take as kindly to you chipping parts off his body or his clothing as Nicole did.”

“Point taken.”

Rosita patted Jeremy on the back as his eyes grew comically wide in fear and his shoulders slumped slightly. “Hey, don’t worry, you still get to science the hell out of the magic shit.”

“Cool!”

“Did you find out anything from the ‘sample’ you took of my jacket?”

Jeremy’s renewed good spirits flagged a little at the hint of a growl in Nicole’s voice but though the thought of all things science raised them quickly again. “That was so cool!”

“That would be from the ventilation he left in it,” Wynonna chortled.

“The results came back of a very specific formula of organic fertilizers that aren’t on record anywhere. The nearest I could find that were similar were from hundreds of years ago.”

“The Banditos don’t exactly strike me as the kind to be interested in gardening.”

“Nope, those boys like to have others grow their _products_.” In case there was any doubt in their mind as to what she meant, Wynonna mimed smoking a joint but her acting skills went unappreciated. “Anything new on the Bun Bun front?”

“For someone that has been in Purgatory her whole life and who claims that their roots here can be traced back to when the town was first named, there is very little in the records.”

“Damn it, Xavier! I thought you were leading to a big reveal then,” Wynonna huffed, slumping in disappointment. “Way to leave a lady unsatisfied, dude.”

“The point is, there is too little to find. No arrests on record of any kind. Hardly any names. Loblaw has access of the records and given her views and actions I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to believe that she’s made use of that and expunged from them what she wants to without anyone knowing.”

“Someone must know something,” Nicole hissed in frustration. “She can’t have gotten to everything.”

“We’re branching the search out, Nicole. Eliza’s working to open up the full Black Badge archives for the Ghost River for us. If there is anything paranormal or unusual in the slightest, it will be there.”

**********

As the sounds of their vehicles faded into the distance, Waverly returned to Nicole’s side. She was still, her body seemingly relaxed as she leaned back against her Jeep, but Waverly could almost feel the energy vibrating off her body in waves of frustration that Waverly felt echoed in herself. She wanted the problem of Bunny Loblaw over and done with so they could focus on the important things but while their bizarre meeting around the hood of her Jeep had lasted well over an hour, they were no nearer to knowing anything as far as Waverly could tell.

Mirroring Nicole’s pose, Waverly leaned back and looked out across the land. The weather was shifting; the wind kicking up in bursts that rattled the dry grass and had the healthier looking trees in the distant swaying and bending like saplings. Beyond that; dominating the skyline; clouds were starting to pour in rolling waves of dark greys and blues over the mountains that quickly swamped the mountain peaks from view.

“Looks like the weather is turning.”

“Yep, looks like it will either rain or go dark before morning.”

Waverly was so distracted by the sight of the storm looming over the horizon that it took a couple of seconds longer than she would like to admit before her brain caught up with what Nicole had said. She stopped mid-nod and shot Nicole’s impeccable profile a look. Catching the twitching of her lips, Waverly slapped her forearm in reproach. Nicole’s arms snaked around her, pulling her easily from her lean against the Jeep and around into her arms until she was standing between the comforting bracket of Nicole’s long legs. Arms wrapping around Nicole’s trim waist, Waverly snuggled into the heat radiating from her body, tucking her head under her chin. Beneath her ear, Nicole’s chest vibrated with the softly, lulling purr that nothing; not even meddling angels, could steal away from her.

“That is still sneaky.” She tapped Nicole’s chest at her questioning murmur and melted into the light laugh that travelled up under her ear and spilt out around her in a way that set all her senses alight. Unable to help herself and unwilling to even try, Waverly nosed around at the gap left at the top of Nicole’s shirt and filled her lungs with the warm scent trapped beneath it and the taste of her flesh captured between her teeth where it spilt above the line of her bra.

“So bitey.”

“So tasty,” Waverly countered with a smile against milky flesh. Fingers threaded through her hair and pulled back firmly but with the gentleness she always got from her Alpha until her head was tipped back. Brown eyes filled with hunger raked over her face and settled upon her neck as Waverly tilted her head and enticed her gaze. The sudden bite of teeth had her arching against Nicole in pleasure; her hands grasping for her; fluttering against her waist and shoulders before finding the back of her neck to pull her closer.

Waverly’s eyes fluttered closed as she drowned in the sensation of Nicole’s body and teeth pressed against her.

“You are so beautiful.”

Nicole’s voice was a rich velvety purr against her that had Waverly letting out a keening moan as she desperately tried to get closer. Warm hands played and tugged at the hem of her shirt, pulling the fabric out of her pants and up out of the way to allow space for Nicole’s fingers to tease across her exposed skin. The dance of her fingers had a shiver racing up Waverly’s spine.

“Cold, baby?”

If anything it was the opposite but Waverly wasn’t about to waste an opportunity. “A little bit.” Grabbing the front of Nicole’s shirt in a firm grip, she spun her with her, yanking her towards the back of the Jeep despite Nicole’s very weak, chuckled protests. Once there she paused, her teeth worrying at her lips as a sudden wave of uncertainty rushed through her. “I- erm, I know you’re on duty and this probably seems like a strange place but, could you just hold me? I need to feel you.”

In lieu of a reply, Nicole’s mouth claimed hers in a kiss that was searing in its passionate intensity and left her weak and aching for more; her mouth chasing after Nicole’s as she growled and licked into her mouth one last time before pulling back for some strange reason. Before she could get her brain and mouth in gear to ask why, she felt the click of the door at her back opening like a shockwave through her body.

Yanking open the door, Waverly was infinitely glad that the child seats were out of the way as she climbed in backwards, keeping a firm hold of Nicole to pull her in after her. “How about you keep me warm, Sheriff Haught?”

Brown eyes twinkled with desire and a deep burning love met hers from inches away as Nicole’s body leaned in. She was so close that Waverly could feel every breath pressing their bodies together as well as the damp warmth of it against her lips as dimples popped to bookend a smile that was full of wicked intent.

They were fully clothed in the back seat of her Jeep and Nicole’s utility belt was pressed uncomfortably against her but with a firm grasp that lifted a leg to hook around her waist and a rolling grind of her hips that had Waverly going limp, her head rolling back and eyes fluttering in pleasure, Nicole erased all thoughts of anything other than Nicole from her mind.

“It would be my absolute pleasure, Waverly Earp.”

**********

Hand raising at the cheerful peep of her horn, Nicole waved as Waverly slowly manoeuvred her Jeep towards the exit of the parking lot and turned onto the main road. Dropping her hands to hook her thumbs into her belt as Waverly drove out of sight, Nicole stood there and listened. Shaking her head, she let out a soft chuckled as, as she had expected, Waverly’s speed went from exaggerated slowness to Indy 500.

“Sounds like someone needs another talking too… want me to go chase her down?”

“And have two Earp’s speeding on my roads? I don’t think so, Wynonna. Anyway, she’s off to pick up the girls from Michelle so she’ll be going slow again soon enough.”

“True,” Wynonna chuckled at the thought of the control the munchkins had over her little sister’s speed demon ways with just a pout or a hint of fussing. The fact that Nicole was unusually cheerful… and late back to the station… had Wynonna turning a narrowed gaze in her friend’s direction and sniffing at the air. Jumping back she wafted her hands in front of her face. “Oh. My. God! You had sex!”

“Jesus Wynonna! Wanna be a little louder, I think they might have missed that over on Notanotha Street. Anyway, I was on my lunch break!”

“It is eleven am!” Wynonna hissed out in the most scandalised, judgey-prude, aka ‘Bunny Loblaw’ voice she could muster.

“Brunch break?” With a quick step around Wynonna while the other woman was busy rolling her eyes, Nicole swung open the door and stepped into the station just as the dark, threatening clouds covering Purgatory started to spill their contents and a big, fat, heavy drop of rain landed against the glass. Going by the yelp from behind her and the dance Wynonna was doing, the next one had hit Wynonna, and it was cold.

“Shit-cicles! That went right down the bra!”

Choking back a snort, Nicole quickly made her way to her office to evict J.D. from her chair. “Anything happening?”

“All quiet, boss.” He paused in the doorway, watching quietly for a moment as she straightened her uniform shirt; tucking it back in several places with a becoming blush on her face that he didn’t even need to be a good cop to know meant that a certain young brunette was responsible for the dishevelled state of her clothing.

“I was wondering, is it okay if grab a longer lunch today?”

“Hmm?” Nicole looked up from the note by her phone she’d been looking at. “Sure. Is everything okay?”

“This storm rolling in has got me worried. We’ve got a couple of new horses in that are a bit skittish with loud noises.” He winced at the understatement and chewed his lip as his eyes found their way to what little was visible of the black sky through the grey sluice of rain the pouring down the window. “It wasn’t in the forecast or I would have kept them in the stables this morning. Ma is alone—”

“Say no more.” Rounding her desk, Nicole placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go, do what you need to,” they both knew that given half a chance his mom would be out there trying to get the horses in herself instead of waiting. “Take anyone you need if it will help. And give your Ma our love.”

“Hey, she’ll kick my ass if I don’t remind you so… dinner still on?”

“Two weeks this weekend. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now go. And call if you need any help.”

**********

The rain fell at an increasing rate at the day moved onwards; the high winds seeming to have little to no effect on the clouds above. By the time an official warning had come in, Nicole had been soaked to the bones numerous times from helping out at the scenes of accidents on the road caused by the poor conditions; helping the fire department navigate their way to a house that needed pumping out and rounded up a herd of cows that had escaped after a tree had become uprooted and fallen across a fence.

The worst by far was a call that had come in about a vehicle that had gone off the road and ended up, upside down in a ditch filled with rainwater. The description of the vehicle had been vague but it had been close enough that it had lit a fear within her that it was Waverly.

A fear that thanks to patchy cell reception, had blazed unchecked and obliterated any ability to sense anything other than her fear. And it had not dissipated until she was at the site and was able to get a look at the vehicle. Even illuminated as it was by the reds and blues of the emergency vehicles on scene, she could tell that it was not Waverly’s Jeep. Her relief was washed away by a crashing wave of bile and guilt at the sight of a body being loaded by sombre faced paramedics into the back of an ambulance.

The storm and the night were far from over but, fingers crossed, so far that was the only fatality due to the unexpected storm.

With a heartfelt groan of soggy misery, Nicole peeled off her sodden jacket and let it drop to a heap in the puddle that was already forming on her office floor. It was supposed to be enough to protect against even the harshest of elements that Mother Nature could throw at them but she didn’t think the manufacturers had taken into account that the Canadian Mother Nature was apparently an extra bitch. Whatever protection the material afforded had given up pretty quickly under her wrath and Nicole was so wet it felt like she could wring her bones out.

Her one solace was the knowledge that Waverly had managed to make it too her Mama and the girls before the weather had gotten too bad and they were all safe.

Grimacing at every squelching step, Nicole trudged across her office and sat behind her desk. The mug of tea Liu had placed before her before their last call was still sitting there, cold and untouched. Even if it had been piping hot it wouldn’t have called to her as much as the thought of a shot of whiskey did. But the thought of what had happened the last time she had given in to it and the fact that she could be called out at any moment made it easy to resist.

What made it even easier was the name that lit up the screen of her phone.

“Hi, Cutie.”

“Hi, Sweetie Pie.”

Just the sound of Waverly’s voice even over the scratchy reception was a soothing balm to her nerves. The sounds of the storm; the wailing wind and heavy rain that threatened to shake her window loose from its frame or shatter it, all faded into an inconsequential background hum.

Nicole sinking into her chair, her body relaxing for the first time in what felt like years. “Everything okay there, baby girl? You’re still at your Mama’s right?” Nicole looked at her window and the weather trapped the other side of it and offered up a silent prayer that Waverly wasn’t out in it.

“We’re kind of stuck here.”

“Good. Well not good but… just don’t try to make it home, Waves. Just stick it out there for the night. The roads are just too dangerous right now.”

“Yeah, seen too many emergency vehicle lights in the distance.”

Nicole could hear the unspoken question hanging in the air. “There have been some accidents,” she admitted. “One fatality.”

“Was it—”

“No, it wasn’t anyone from town. Just some poor woman passing through that got caught out by it.”

“Oh, thank god it wasn’t anyone we—”

Her startled gasp muffled by a restraining hand rang out in a suddenly clear patch in the static.

“Okay, that sounded terrible. I meant—”

“Baby, you don’t have to explain. I thought the same thing when I got there and realised it wasn’t you. There is nothing, _nothing_ , wrong with being relieved that it wasn’t someone we know; someone we love; or even ourselves in a situation like that. It doesn’t mean we care any less about the person that didn’t make it.”

“I guess.”

“No guessing. You know I’m right.”

“Fine,” she huffed slightly.

“I take it your talk with Mama didn’t go too well?”

“About the same as usual,” Waverly sighed. “I didn’t want to push her too much over the whole… _wings_ thing but she clammed up when I mentioned the greenhouse.”

“Hmm. Think it was some memories coming back?”

“She said not but… Nicole, I could smell it on her… not an outright lie but she was holding something back and not really telling the truth either,” she huffed in frustration.

“I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready, baby.”

“I wish I was so sure. Most of my memories of her aren’t even mine and now this? I just— I don’t know. I asked her about the Gibson’s again too but it was more of the same. Oh, but she did suggest asking Gretta, she said that the Perley’s used to keep records of all the witches in the area but she doesn’t know how she knew that. And it doesn’t really help with how Gretta has been pulling away.”

“I’m reluctant to force anything on her when she’d grieving that could just remind her of what happened to Mattie, but, if all else fails, it does give us a reason to go talk to her in an official capacity. Maybe if she can’t push us away she’ll open up a little?”

“Maybe… she did make it clear when I called though that she didn’t want us around.”

“Waves… You called her again didn’t you?”

“I had to try, Nicole.”

“What did she say?”

“Erm, words to the effect that we would die if we turned up at her house.”

“What?!” Nicole bristled in anger. It was one thing to just tell them to leave her alone, it was another to make such a blatant threat! “I’ll deal with her in the morning,” she growled. “Just promise me you’ll stay put and stay safe tonight, Waves. I’m not even going to be able to make it home tonight and I would rather not have to come and rescue you in the departmental canoe.”

“You have a canoe? That’s not the one Wynonna says she lost her virginity in is it?”

“She lost her— Nope, for the sake of my sanity, I’m not going to think about that. Just stay safe and I’ll see you all in the morning.”

“Fine. I’m going to miss you though, Nicole.”

“I’m going to miss you too, baby girl,” she sighed brokenly. “How are the kids holding up?”

“They’re not happy, especially Dom, she just wants to know where her Mama is. But they’re okay.”

“Don’t promise them anything in case things get too busy and I can’t but, if I can, I’ll Skype closer to their bedtime to talk to them. Okay?”

“Gonna _tuck_ me in too, my Alpha?”

“You behave. I’m soaking wet for all the wrong reasons and the last thing I need is for my uniform to start steaming because you got me all hot and bothered.” Waverly’s soft, almost childish giggle lifted the corners of Nicole’s mouth in response and she hugged her phone closer to absorb every bit of it to keep her going through whatever the storm threw their way next. “Get some rest, baby. I’ll be with you soon and…”

“If I need you I know where you are,” Waverly finished for her.

Which if the rain didn’t ease up soon, Nicole figured that would probably be pits deep in flood water. Which wouldn’t be the first time that had happened that day. And going by Liu’s frantic waving from the bullpen as she pulled on her jacket, it wouldn’t be her last time.

“I love you.”

“And I love you. Give the girls lots of hugs and kisses from me.”

Nicole waited just long enough for Waverly to hang up the phone before pushing back her chair, gathering her sodden jacket off the floor. Sucking in a breath, she wrapped herself in the mantel of Sheriff and protector and flung open her door to head back into the storm.

**********

The next time Nicole’s jacket hit the floor it was twice as sodden and ripped beyond repair.

“Great,” Nicole grumbled, “now Nedley is going to fuss at me about the uniform budget too.” Groaning, she shuffled her way over to her couch. She hated the thought of getting it wet but it just looked too inviting to resist. At least the rain had washed the mud from the landslide off her.

Her body was inches away from sinking into the comfort of the lumpy couch when an ominous cracking sound had her exhausted body finding enough renewed vigour to shoot her straight to her feet. She was at the door before she was even aware of moving, her eyes trained in the same direction as Liu’s who was standing there with a soaked boot in her hand that was dripping water all over her desk.

“What was that?”

“Sounded like it came from holding. Want me to check it out?”

“I’ve got it, Liu.” Holding up a hand, Nicole stopped her frantic hopping as she tried to get her boot back on. “It’s probably just a branch hitting the window. Grab a hot drink and get yourself dried up as best as you can.”

Liu was so exhausted that she went in search of a drink without too much protest. Which Nicole was thankful for as she was so exhausted any demands would probably come out as a whine, or tears.

The lights in the holding area flickered and died down as she entered and for what felt like the longest time, the only light came from the lightning flashing through the window broken by one of the tall poplars trees that stood sentry on that side of the building. The cells were all empty of anything breathing but that didn’t make it any less spine-tinglingly spooky as the lightning cast shadows that danced through the trees and shifted through the boxes stacked up in the last cell, causing them to lengthen and loom up.

Nicole’s hand moved towards her utility belt, her fingers tensing as she couldn’t quite decide if she wanted to go for the sensible option of her torch or what was also feeling like the pretty darn sensible option of her gun.

As suddenly as they had gone off, the lights came back on brighter than ever, their fluorescent brightness pushing back all of the looming shadows… Apart from one!

Nicole’s hand quickly wrapped around the gun, drawing it smoothly even as her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of Trickett; all seven foot and armed with garden shears of him, standing in the cell looking at her. Her gun had barely even cleared its holster before the world exploded into noise and chaos as a tree crashed through the wall and pain exploded across her ribs and temple.

The scent of ozone, tree sap and copper was sharp in Nicole’s nose as she tried to push herself up off the floor.

Why was she on the floor?

Nicole shook her head, trying to free her thoughts and clear her ears from their ringing, and get ended up gasping as pain bloomed out across her head. Nausea rolled through her as something warm and stick dripped down her face, the scent of it letting her know that it was blood. She resisted the urge to touch it. Enough dirt was already in the wound without adding to the problem by putting her filthy hands all over it.

As she moved, Nicole took in what she could, assessing the situation as calmly as she could.

It was a tree.

A tree had crashed through the wall. The bulk of it plugging the hole and blocked the door to the holding cells too.

So she was trapped there.

With a cut to her head and banged up ribs.

Stupid tree.

And… oh yes, the door to one of the cells was hanging off its hinges.

Luckily, none of the cells had anyone in them…

“Oh, shit. Motherfucker! Shit! Shit! Shit!” Nicole scrambled around, her hands sweeping the floor and patting at her belt for her weapon or torch… for anything! But unless she planned on holding someone at bay with her obviously busted radio, she was out of luck.

“Wife!”

“What?!” Scrambling the rest of the way to her feet, Nicole backed away from the giant form of Trickett and his clacking shears with only her radio in her hand.

“Wife!”

Nicole flinched at his roar of frustration. “I-erm, listen. I’m flattered but I’m a lesbian.” He frowned all the harder at that, his expression looking even darker and more threatening than the storm. He stepped closer and Nicole cursed herself for not paying enough attention when she realised she was backed into a corner with nowhere to escape to. But rather than stabbing or slicing and dicing her, his hands lowered, his shears pointing at the floor as he glared at her with an odd expression on his face.

“Looking… for, Monique. My wife.”

Nicole blinked, her eyes widening at finally hearing English words coming from his mouth wrapped up in the roaring gravel of his voice.

“Gibson?”

Nicole shrank back as he leaned down and sniffed around her deliberately. “Wait… You can smell Gibson? Waverly,” she uttered. Please don’t let him say he can smell sex on me too, she thought.

“Waverly!”

Nicole wasn’t sure if his smile was a good thing to see or not. It was definitely terrifying in all ways but especially because it was Waverly’s name that had put it on his face. It got him moving though as he turned around with a frightening amount of speed for a being of his size and started hacking and pulling at the tree that was blocking the way.

“Wait! You know Waverly?”

“Waverly good! Waverly play!”

Cocking her head at his almost childish glee, Nicole dared to edge a little closer, hoping to make a connection seeing as he wasn’t trying to skewer her. “Your name… it’s Trickett?”

He paused in his attack on the felled tree and looked at her. “Yes. Trickett is my name.”

“I’m Nicole. Waverly. Waverly is my mate. You know what I mean by that?”

“Wolf!”

Nicole stepped back hastily, thankful that the only thing he had raised to point at her through the darkness was a thick finger that he tapped against her chest.

“Yes. And you, you’re a gnome?” He nodded as far as she could tell but didn’t say anything further. Before she could say anything else, a beam of light swung in through the window… or where the window had been and found her eyes with an unerring, blinding accuracy that had Nicole throwing up a hand to protect her eyes.

“Sheriff! Sheriff! You okay?!” Liu gasped in shock as the Sheriff lowered her hand and she caught sight of the blood trailing down the left side of her face. Even knowing that head wounds were notorious for bleeding heavily didn’t lessen the shock of it. “Jesus! Looks like you took a hit!”

“Yeah, tree came in on us.”

“Us?”

Nicole followed the sweeping beam of the torch as Liu swung it around the holding area but there was no seven-foot gnome to be seen anywhere. “Erm—”

“It’s okay, Sheriff… we’ll get you out as soon as we can! Just don’t fall asleep or anything!”

“Great,” Nicole muttered as Liu ran away to get help, “now she thinks I’m crazy. Maybe I am? Took a blow to the head and now I’m seeing giant gnomes that are looking for their wife? Nothing sane about that at all!”

“Talking to yourself, Sheriff? Not exactly a good thing to be doing.”

“Neither is being out in this weather wearing PJ’s, Shorty, and yet…” she waved a hand, indicating what seemed to be silk pyjamas beneath his jacket. She had never pegged him as the silk PJ kind… not that thinking of Shorty in his PJ’s had ever crossed her mind.

“Here we are,” he smirked. “Heard the crack of this old thing coming down even above the storm and met your young deputy here on the way out. Now then,” blinking through the rain he looked at the damage the tree had done to the building. “Looks solid enough so shouldn’t take too long to chainsaw it down to size. No guests tonight?”

“Nope, all quiet for a change.”

“Good thing too. Well, let me get my chainsaw.”

“Thanks, Shorty!” She called out to him as he sloshed off through the rain. While she waited for him to get back, she kept a watchful eye on the rest of the cell just in case Trickett wasn’t as gone as she thought. But there was no sign of him… Nor were there any crushed remains of garden ornament anywhere in the holding cell.

Maybe she had hit her head harder than she’d thought?

**********

The dawn arrived almost meek and apologetic after the ferocity of the storm; the sun rising slowly to push back the last of the drizzle it had become, unseen and unnoticed by most, a little after three AM.

Once she was sure that everything was as ‘okay’ as it was going to get, and after a few insistent pushes in the direction of the door, Nicole had finally relented and used her last reserves of energy  that not even a couple of hours napping down in Nedley’s morgue man cave had helped restore, to make her way home.

Given the amount of rain that had fallen and the high winds, there was surprisingly little to show for it on the surface apart from a few downed trees. Nicole knew that there would be more though once everyone was up and started getting around. As long as there were no more fatalities, Nicole would consider themselves lucky.

The sight of the home and especially Waverly’s red Jeep shining in the early morning sun had Nicole’s heart lifting in joy; renewing her… Right up until the moment her bruised ribs protested her too vigorous attempt to get out from behind the wheel.

“Son of a—” biting her lip, she supported her ribs until the pain eased up to where it didn’t feel like they were about to rear up and puncture a lung. She was lucky that they were only bruised; Liu and Shorty had both insisted that she get them checked out so that and a couple of small butterfly bandages almost hidden by her hairline, were all she had to show for everything that had happened during the night.

Still hurt like a bitch to breathe deeply or move too suddenly without her ability to heal as quickly as she was used to, to help. But. She would be okay. And, even though she was sick of water and being pruney, grabbing a nice hot shower before crawling into Waverly’s arms was all she could think about. Steps dragging, she made her way inside; a knot releasing in her chest as the familiar scents settled around her as she kicked her boots off and hung up the relatively dry jacket she had found to replace the one ruined while on duty.

Nicole felt dirty; the sweat and grime of the long night scratching at her skin becoming almost unbearable as she made her way up the stairs to their bedroom.

“-cole?”

Nicole smiled, stepping closer to the bed as Waverly lifted her head from her pillow and blinked at her from a curtain of hair that had tumbled around her face. Her voice was a sleep-roughened purr that almost vanished beneath a yawn.

“Yur –ome?”

“Right here, Waves.” Crouching beside the bed, she allowed herself a moment to savour the soft warmth of Waverly’s hand as it cupped her cheek. She had taken care to wash the blood from her face before she had left the station but she knew even without the crinkle starting to form between Waverly’s brows, that Waverly was starting to wake enough to piece together the text messages she had sent during the night to keep her informed and to try and allay any fears that would come from hearing about what had happened from someone else.

“Your head—”

Nicole eased her back down with gentle hands. “I’m fine, baby. Really.” Cupping Waverly’s hands between her own she pressed her lips to them. “Right now I just need some sleep… after a grab a quick shower,” she winced, plucking at the mud stiffened collar of her shirt. “Gonna warm up a patch of the bed for me?”

“Nope.” Emphasising her point with a popped ‘p’ and a wiggle down into the soft warmth of her blankets, Waverly peeked over the edge of them teasingly and savoured the light laugh her actions pulled out of Nicole. “But if you hurry,” she purred, “I’ll let you share mine.”

“Mmm, sounds perfect to me,” she purred in reply; leaning closer to gently peck at Waverly’s tempting smile with a quick kiss… and another and another, before pulling back with a chuckle and rising to her feet with more grace than she was feeling with her battered ribs.

Nicole made short work of her shower. She wanted to be in Waverly’s arms too much to linger and the very real possibility that she might fall asleep standing up hung over her with every too long blink that had her jolting and spluttering as she staggered to escape the water filling her mouth.

She had expected to find Waverly still tucked up under a mountain of covers determinedly wringing every last ounce of the time she had until the kids awoke. But as she shuffled into the bedroom, she found her sitting up in bed waiting. Sleep still clung to her, making her movements soft as she patted the edge of the bed to draw her closer, but there was a determination in her eyes that said she better do as she was told.

“How bad are your ribs?”

“They’re not too— they’re sore,” she admitted as Waverly’s brow climbed to claim ‘bullshit’. “They’re just bruised though only…”

“Only you’re not used to being bruised for so long?” she guessed as Nicole broke off with an almost apologetic look on her face. “Come here.” She waited until Nicole was standing between her thighs with her knees pressing into the edge of the mattress before she reached up for the edge of the towel knotted between her breasts. She looked up higher, checking that Nicole was okay before she gently loosened the towel and let it drop to the floor.

Her body was magnificent; the perfect combination of soft curves and taut muscle that always stole Waverly’s heart. Her pale skin was glistening with droplets of water that had escaped her towelling off after her shower. Waverly looked at all over her, her eyes lingering on every inch of her before she let them focus and linger upon the livid bruise that wrapped around her side.

A hand cupped her face, the soft brush of thumb drawing her attention to the tears she hadn’t been aware of spilling.

“It’s just a bruise. It hurts like a bitch but it’s just a bruise.” Nicole let her hand fall back to her side as Waverly gave a nod into her hand and gave her a weak smile that almost reached her glistening eyes. Her body flinched as Waverly’s fingers pressed against the bruise lightly. “Your fingers are cold,” she explained with a light chuckle that turned into a soft gasp as Waverly replaced chilled fingers with warm lips that gently worked lovingly over every inch of bruised skin.

Feeling the tired sway of Nicole’s body and hearing a yawn creep its way out of her mouth despite her best efforts, Waverly drew away, lingering to press a harder kiss to the soft swell of her tummy. “Come lie down and let me take care of you.”

“I’m not sure I’m up to that. Maybe in a couple of hours,” she teased.

“Fool.” With a soft bite of rebuke, Waverly threw back the covers and patted the bed.

It hurt to watch Nicole trying to bite back her moans and whimpers of pain as she climbed onto the bed so she busied her hands and mind with the task of making her feel better as soon as possible. Getting into position; her body laying against Nicole’s, she unscrewed the top off a jar of ointment Clarke had taught her how to make. The light scent of it teased her nostrils as she dipped her fingers into the thick ointment and spread it gently across Nicole’s bruise. It was only hours old but she could see from the different colours and swelling where she had been hit and how close it had come to breaking her skin.

How close it had come to taking her away from her.

“Hey. Look at me, Waves. No, not at the bruise, that will fade. Look into my eyes.” Running her fingers along Waverly’s jaw, Nicole gently encouraged her to meet her gaze and see all the love she had for her. “I love you, baby. That will always grow and never fade.”

Unable to speak, Waverly surged to meet Nicole’s lips with her own; swallowing down the sweet taste of vanilla and drowning in the dripping honey of her love that poured through their connection. Hands grasped her thigh and Waverly eagerly followed Nicole’s urgings as she pulled her over on top of her. Until a strangled gasp of pain slipped from Nicole’s lips, dragging her up short.

“Dumbass,” Waverly barked down at Nicole as she quickly lifted her weight from her body.

“Bruises suck,” Nicole grumbled. “But I don’t regret that kiss.” She tried to claim another but Waverly pushed her down again and held her still despite her best pout. She liked to think that the pout would have worked for her but it was kind of spoiled by another yawn.

“Snuggle down, dummy. You need to rest up.”

Nicole could already feel the lure of sleep tugging her quickly under as Waverly pulled a cover over her body and smoothed it down around her shoulders. Before she gave in, and before Waverly could slip from the bed, she snagged their pinkies together, pulling her to a halt. “You’ll stay with me?”

“Nowhere else I would rather be. But let me just check on the girls and I’ll be right back with you.”

Nicole’s eyes drifted shut as Waverly left the bed, their fingers parting reluctantly. She kept an ear on her; tracking her short journey to the nursery; the almost silent opening of the door. She must have drifted off though as the next thing she was aware of was the warmth of Waverly’s body slotting into place against hers. She didn’t, couldn’t open her eyes, but she smiled as Waverly’s lips caressed her own and pulled her closer with a contented sigh.

 


	29. Chapter 29

The softest of giggles, light and filled with barely repressed childish glee, and the subtle shifting of the mattress from multiple points stirred Nicole towards wakefulness. Cracking open an eye just enough to make out shaped through the thick, dark veil of her lashes, she caught the shifting of Waverly’s eyes beneath her lids and knew she was watching too as their girls shuffled their way onto and up their bed until they were smiling at each other over a mop of red hair as Melanie was the first to slide into the gap between them.

She looked so pleased with herself as she settled her head down on the pillow and then her whole body went as stiff as a board, a tiny fist cramming into her widely grinning mouth as she realised she’d been spotted.

Letting out a mock roar, Nicole swooped down on Mel, her fingers tracing over sensitive areas and dipping into creases as Mel’s body curled up into a defensive ball with a squeal of delight that had her sisters wide-eyed and frozen with indecision.

Fight or flight!?

To rescue their sister or run!?

Brave little Kat came to her baby sister’s aid and found herself quickly caught up in the tickle pile with her, while Dom and Jas made a break for it; eyes wide with excitement, their squeals and laughter filling the house with joy.

Waverly leapt from the bed and gave chase with a mock roar of her own. Fake stumbling and bumping off walls to give them a thrill, she chased them to the nursery and back, swooping them up at the last moment to toss them gently onto the mattress so they could ‘endure’ a tickle at Nicole’s hands alongside the others. She knelt on the outskirts for a moment, simply basking in the joy of the moment and taking it all in to play back in the HD of her mind so she could relive it.

“Hey, you gonna just sit there or help?” Nicole teased, darting her fingers along Waverly’s side before putting all her attention back on the pile of children squirming upon the bed.

“Hmm. Oh, I’ll help… Just… not you!”

“What?” Nicole’s eyebrows climbed; Waverly’s betrayal sinking in after she’d already pounced upon her and Nicole found herself on the bottom of a relentless tickle pile as the girls turned the tables on her with Waverly’s help.

Waverly called a gentle halt to the fun and games after a stray foot, elbow, or something, caught Nicole in the rib and she felt a flash of her discomfort like an ache in her heart through their connection. It was brief, barely even enough for Waverly to sense and Nicole was just as quick as the girls to let out an ‘Awww’ of disappointment and pouted prettily but Waverly ignored all the protests and distracted the girls with the lure of food.

“I’ll go get them settled if you want to take a quick shower before you eat?”

Snagging Waverly’s delicate wrist as she climbed off the bed, Nicole gently pulled her back around to stand between her legs. “I would rather nibble on you,” she purred against Waverly’s abdomen.

Dragging her fingers through Nicole’s hair, Waverly pulled her head back with it and drowned for a moment in the heated promise in her soft gaze. Sweeping her fingers along her jaw, she tilted Nicole’s head a little more as she dipped down to meet the soft curve of her lips with her own.

“I love your idea,” she husked against her lips, “but the girls missed you yesterday and I don’t think they would give us the time to nibble.”

“Darn it,” Nicole smiled softly against her. “Later?”

“Oh, most definitely later,” Waverly assured her. “Now,” pulling back, she booped Nicole teasingly on the tip of her nose with a finger, “I’ll go see to them while you get ready. Oh, and Nicole?” she paused at the door, a hand holding determinedly on to the handle to stop herself from running back across the room to tackle Nicole when she finds her bending over far too enticingly, the long lines of her body on display, as she looked back.

“Hmm?”

Swallowing hard, Waverly cleared her throat in an effort to find her voice. “Shower or not, put a bit more of that salve on before you come down, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A chuckle bubbled from Nicole as Waverly gave her a long, hungry look that had heat rising up in a full body blush she was sure started somewhere in her toes before she gave her a little wave and skipped out of the room. Shaking her head, she quickly straightened the bed, a twinge making her suck her breath in between her teeth as she reached too far.

Maybe a quick shower would help loosen everything up?

Even over the sound of the water pouring down over her body, Nicole could hear the background hum of the girls downstairs, the only silence from them coming when they were eating. And when they were quiet, Nicole could hear Waverly’s dulcet tones as she sang along to one of the upbeat pop songs she favoured, and Nicole knew, just knew, that Waverly was dancing around their kitchen, her lithe body swaying as she sang into a wooden spoon or whatever she was using as a makeshift microphone as she entertained the girls.

With a towel wrapped around her body, Nicole made her way back into the bedroom. The hot water had worked wonders to loosen her muscles and her mind even though she was working on very little sleep. There was too much that needed doing at the station; repairs that needed to be taken care of… and a rogue garden ornament to track down.

As much as she wished she could blame it on a blow to the head, Nicole _knew_ that she hadn’t simply imagined what had happened. And while Trickett seemed to be fond of Waverly, that didn’t mean Nicole wanted him just turning up anywhere near her, the kids or anyone else for that matter.

Huffing out a breath at the whole situation, Nicole let the edges of her towel drop open and frowned in fierce concentration as she used the mirror to study the bruises her brush with the tree had left across her ribs.

Surprisingly… they weren’t as bad as she thought they would have been. In fact, whatever it was Waverly had put on them, had already faded areas of them to a pale yellowish colour and the cut on her head didn’t even need the butterfly bandages any more as all there was left of that was a thin, pink line that was hidden by her hairline.

“Mama!”

Nicole spun around sharply. Her heart felt like it was about to crack open and shatter as she saw the pain on Dom’s face as her eyes took in the bruises.

“It’s okay. Mama’s okay.” Falling to her knees, Nicole gathered her daughter close and let her hold her just as hard as she needed to. “I’m okay, sweetie,” she shushed her gently, running her hand up and down her trembling spine.

“Nic?” Waverly froze in the doorway, her very breath catching in her throat at the sight of Nicole cradling an obviously distraught Dom against her, a look of sorrow upon her face as she looked over their sensitive daughters head.

“It’s okay, Waves. Dom just got a look at my bruises, didn’t you, baby?” She stroked her hand over Dom’s head as it bobbed up and down against her. “Waves, is there anything in that ointment that could harm her?”

Waverly’s heart was still pounding after her mad rush up the stairs at Dom’s cry and she willed it to settle enough for the pounding beat of it to leave her ears as she calmly moved closer; willing her daughter to see that there was nothing wrong by her actions.

“Yeah, it’s perfectly safe. Want me to get it for you?”

“Do you want to help Mama put some on, sweetie?”

“Make Mama feel better?”

“It will,” Nicole smiled softly. “You won’t hurt me but you can just watch Mama do it if you want?”

“I do it.”

Nicole pressed a kiss to the top of Dom’s head, hiding the smallest of smiles against the baby fine strands at the determined jut of her chin that was so much like Waverly’s.

“Come on, angel. Let me show you what to do while Mama puts some clothes on so she won’t distract me.” Holding out her hand, Waverly smiled in relief as Dom felt relaxed enough to be away from Nicole to put her hand in hers and let her lead her around to her side of the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her, Waverly explained to her what they needed to do to help Nicole. Dom was completely invested in learning what she needed to do; nearly dipping her nose into the creamy salve as she peered at it intensely with a little frown between her brows. Waverly was a bit more distracted though. Especially as behind her, she could hear the distracting sounds of Nicole going through drawers and pulling out her underwear and the slither of the fabric against her skin as she pulled them on.

She wanted so badly to turn around and take in the enticing view but Dom was demanding her attention and she could feel the edge of humour and challenge radiating from Nicole soft chuckle that let her know she knew darn well what she did to her.

“Ready when you are.”

“Unfortunately,” Waverly sighed as she turned and took in underwear now gracing Nicole’s body. Not that it wasn’t lovely underwear! Normally the way the fabric hugged and framed every curve would be a delight in itself… but it was more of a delight when it was coming off, not the first step in covering her up. “Ready to make Mama feel better?”

“Mhm.”

Waverly smiled as Dom’s fists tightened determinedly around the container she placed in her outstretched hands and pulled it close so it was cradled protectively against her chest as Waverly gently helped her off the bed.

“Okay, Mama,” she winked at Nicole, “time to take your medicine like a good girl.”

“You are enjoying this way too much, Waverly Earp.”

“Mmm, maybe just a little bit,” Waverly admitted with a nonchalant shrug. “Now, Sheriff Nicole Haught…” she pointed a finger at the floor and watched intently for signs of discomfort as Nicole lowered herself down to Dom’s level. The move was done with an easy motion with no obvious signs of discomfort and it left Waverly biting her lip just a little with the ease of it and how Nicole slid gracefully into just the right position to expose the extent of the bruise to Dom’s gaze.

“It’s okay, sweetie, you can touch it. You won’t hurt me.” Taking the pot of ointment from Dom’s hand, she gently urged her daughter closer and cupped her tiny hand against her and let her explore as she wanted until her precious, tiny body started to relax. “See? Mama’s all funny colours but I’m okay. You ready to put some of that on me now?”

Waverly stepped closer as Dom sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and ducked her head uncertainly. “I can do it if you want?”

“Oh no! Not you,” Nicole wagged a finger in Waverly’s direction and caught Dom’s puzzled gaze. “Mama’s got cold fingers, hasn’t she?” she whispered loudly, pulling the start of a giggle and a nod of agreement from Dom as Waverly huffed playfully at them both.

“Such lies! My fingers aren’t cold at all, are they?” She trailed her fingers across the back of Dom’s neck, dipping into the warm crease at the crook of her neck as she squealed and hunched in on herself at the tickle.

Their laughter eased the rest of the tension from Dom and, huffing only slightly from the giggles, she settled down easily to playing nurse as Waverly opened the container ready to give her the right amount instead of the handful she was sure to reach for herself. Her heart melted as Dom gazed at the bruise intently for a moment and leaned closer to press a noisy kiss to Nicole’s ribs and uttered soft promises to make her better.

**********

“It’s supposed to be my job to protect them,” Nicole whispered brokenly, tears stinging her eyes as Dom, her task as tiny nurse completed, made her way downstairs to join her sisters.

Sighing softly, Waverly sat down beside Nicole on their bed and gently enfolded her in her arms. She could understand all too easily the pain she was in and what she was feeling but that didn’t mean she could let Nicole get away with wallowing in it needlessly.

“You’ve got precisely thirty seconds to feel sorry for yourself, Nicole,” she warned with steel laced beneath the softness of her voice.

“What?”

Tightening her grip on the back of Nicole’s head, Waverly held her against her shoulder. “Thirty seconds,” she stated again. “No more. Then you better get your head out of your ass and realise that one, you’re not alone in this family because we work as a team to keep each other safe. That includes our girls, who are, by the way, pretty darned amazing because of how _we_ have brought them up. And two, you don’t get to go all sullen, lone wolf alpha or I will give you bruises in places you’ll have nightmares about for the rest of your life. Got it?”

“Got it,” Nicole nodded as Waverly’s dose of reality sank in.

“Good… ‘cause you’ve got ten seconds left.”

“After that, I don’t think I need them. Your shoulder is comfy though.” Smiling, she snuggled in closer, breathing in Waverly’s scent as she pressed a kiss to the palm of the hand she raised to push her off. “I love you so much, Waves. If I don’t get to tell you that at least a million more times today, I’ve failed.”

Waverly rolled her eyes fondly. “’Nonna is right, you are a walking bumper sticker. And I love you too just as much, so how about we take some of those million times and do something better with our mouths?”

She let out a squeal as Nicole moved gracefully with a speed that had her heart thumping with excitement and she found herself splayed out on her back in the middle of the bed with the weight of Nicole’s body sliding between her thighs, slotting them together with a breath-taking intimacy as she spread them eagerly.

“I say we’ve got five minutes tops before the girls come looking for us.”

“Then shut up and make use of them,” Waverly ordered, tilting her hips and dragging blunt nails down Nicole’s spine to urge her into action.

“Yes, ma’am.”

**********

“Holy fudgenuggets!”

Waverly's feet crunched upon the rubble and shards of glass and fragments of the tree as she edged closer to the ragged hole in the side of the municipal building. Waves of sickness rushed in upon her, terror clawing at her throat at the thought of Nicole being under the remains of the tree still lodged within the unnatural gap in the building.

“Yeah, I said pretty much the same thing,” Wynonna stated quietly as she placed her hand upon Waverly’s tense shoulder to ground her in the reality that Nicole was safe.

“In actual fact, I believe your assessment of the situation involved a lot more curse words.”

“I did say pretty much, Doc,” Wynonna snorted and rolled her eyes at him. “Tatorhaught is okay. You know that,” she gently reminded Waverly. “Though she did kind of look a little dazed when I saw her heading into the station just. Had some fun before you got here, huh?”

“Do you _really_ want me to answer that?”

“Eww, probably not,” Wynonna grimaced at Waverly’s knowing smirk shot at her jauntily from over her shoulder as she turned smartly, whacking Wynonna across the face with her hair.

While Wynonna spluttered and wiped at her face theatrically, Doc cautiously stepped closer, planting his feet carefully amongst the shifting rubble strew around with as much care as he could so as not to disturb anything further. “Nicole got mighty lucky,” he whistled softly as his eyes took in the reach of the tree and the damage it had done to the holding cells. The tree was still blocking much of the room and it would likely stay good and blocked until the wall could be shored up. “They had best hope that no one is in need of a cell for a while.”

“They could always lock them up in Nedley’s morgue cave. Actually,” Wynonna rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “that sounds like a good place to get locked up for the night. Just me, that big, beautiful TV and ‘Aquaman’ on repeat,” she purred appreciatively.

“You could guard that gnome while you are admiring Jason Momoa’s muscles.”

“Trickett isn’t here anymore!”

“Sweet baby Jesus! Jeremy!” Wynonna’s heart leapt into her mouth and her feet left the ground as Jeremy suddenly popped up right in front of her from where he had somehow been managing to hide the other side of the wall. What made his sudden appearance even more horrifying was that he was wearing a pair of magnifying glasses that made his eyes look about ten times too big for his head. “Dude! What the fuck!?”

“Sorry!” he yelped. “I was just in here looking for any sign of it! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Scare?” Wynonna scoffed unconvincingly. “Not scared, just startled. And what do you mean that ugly thing is gone?”

“He means that our old, stabby buddy came alive on me last night and somehow vanished into thin air.”

“Swear to god! I am putting bells on all of you sneaky fuckers!” Wynonna growled at Nicole. “And why did no one tell me _it_ was on the loose last night? Kind of something I should have been warned about, don’t you think?”

“Earp, I sent you a text to let you know and you sent back a thumbs up. And then,” she butted before Wynonna could make any sassy comeback. “I sent a text to Xavier and he sent me a thumbs up too… And you sent that didn’t you?” she moaned in realisation.

“I probably thought it was Doc sending accidental selfies again.”

“Wynonna, I was in the bed next to you.”

“Doc, you managed to send me a selfie one time while we were making love.”

“More than I needed to know,” Nicole groaned.

“So, how do we find tall, dark and stabby?”

“Unless we can work out a way to contain him I’m not sure we should try,” Xavier pointed out. “What’s the point if he can just disappear right in front of two people?”

“Haught did take a knock on the noggin, maybe she only thought he’d popped up,” Wynonna narrowed her eyes challengingly at Nicole.

“No, he was definitely on the move in here,” Jeremy butted in. “I set up a scanner based in the samples I took and this is picking it up all over here.”

“Could we use that to track him?”

“Sure… if the signature hadn’t just vanished. I already checked outside and wherever he went, he didn’t go by foot. Hey, you lot are the tracking experts,” he pursed his lips and let out a howl that he regretted the moment they all turned their eyes on him. “Erm, anyway,” he blushed, “can’t you track his smell?”

“Jer, Haught’s sniffer is on the fritz and I couldn’t even smell him when he was snarling right in my face.”

“Waverly’s got the most sensitive abilities when it comes to tracing scents,” Nicole pointed out somewhat reluctantly.

“I’ve already tried,” Waverly admitted as she joined them. “All I got from him when he was, ya know, tiny and not menacing, was dirt and the hint of a fertilizer… basically, the same as I would get from just about any piece of cultivated land around Purgatory.”

“Well, shoot. On the plus side… I get to listen in while Haughty here explains to her troop that they’re on the lookout for a two-and-a-half to seven-foot dude wielding a wicked long pair of garden shears.” She chortled at the dry ‘done with your shit’ look Nicole sent her.

“I think we should talk to Gretta. Hear me out?” she begged. “From everything we’ve read out gnomes, this is not normal,” she looked to Jeremy for help and got a less than helpful tiny nod of agreement under the weight of Nicole’s glare. “So if it’s not normal… maybe it’s—”

“Magical!” Jeremy finished with an exaggerated flourish of his hands that went down as well as he’d expected with them… as in not at all. “It’s worth a try, right?”

“Maybe,” Nicole relented. “But we do this officially and gently! She’s already made threats and I don’t want to push her into going off the deep end!”

“I’m sure she’ll be able to help… maybe with getting your wolf back too.”

“Waves, I’m the reason her sister is dead,” she held up her hands, gently cupping Waverly’s shoulders within them before she could bristle in defence of her. “I know I’m not, not really, that was all on _him_. But I can’t help my guilt over what happened because I chose to fight back; because I dared to survive in the first place. So I can see why she would feel hatred towards me. And I also can’t see her wanting to help me in any way but especially not with my wolf. Something professional… we stand a slightly better chance of her helping but I’m not pinning everything on a maybe.”

Waverly nodded in reluctant agreement and understanding knowing that Nicole was unlikely to be swayed right then. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t be trying again later to persuade her though… or that she wasn’t above taking matters into her own hands if need be.

They needed answers, and sooner rather than later.

But while they were searching for answers, they needed to take care of the town and everyone there. Given the suddenness of the storm and its ferocity, Purgatory had gotten off lightly with the tree through the municipal building being the worst of the damage so far. But there was a lot to get cleaned up within the town with all the mud and debris that had been washed out of god knows where and out onto the streets. And a lot of land to cover between its citizens and they all needed checking on.

Luckily, their pack was close-knit and, more than ever, integrated into the town in such a way that they pretty much considered everyone, wolf or not, to be an extension of their pack. So it was not surprising and yet still heart-warming to see the number of people gathered together to help.

The one noticeable absence from the army of volunteers they had seen on the streets when they had driven into town and milling in and out of the Sheriff’s Department though was Bunny.

“No Bun Bun yet?” Waverly queried as she preceded Nicole inside just as the first drops of rain started to fall from the dark, ominous clouds that had rolled back in to cover Purgatory and the land as far as the eye could see and turned daylight into dusk.

“JD drew the short straw and checked on her already. She demanded help to clean some minor debris off her drive and then said she ‘didn’t care’ to help anyone else. She wouldn’t even call friends in the area to check they were okay.”

“Do we think Bun Bun even has friends?” Wynonna snorted.

A part of Waverly, the part that always wanted to see the good in people, felt she should tell her sister to behave and she almost did so instinctively. But in all honesty, even if Bunny hadn’t turned out to be the kind of evil that hired murderous bikers… she just wasn’t a nice person and Waverly couldn’t think of one single, solitary person that would disagree with her so she let her mouth close and shrugged her shoulders.

“Can you believe this?” JD stabbed a finger at the screen of his computer. “After that last night and they’re only just putting out a severe weather warning. Oh, and the kicker, the warning only covers the area to the west of here.” He gave a pointed look to the windows and the gathering darkness beyond.

“Okay, focus everyone!” Nicole raised her voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the crowded bullpen and calling them to silence. “Calls and visits to the ones we know are more in need are a priority! That includes the elderly, the sick and isolated. Remember though that we are here to support the other services so coordinate with them and if you are called out to help on a rescue… Follow their lead! They are the experts! Above all, stay safe, stay in touch, and make sure all everyone else knows that too.”

As she finished talking, the silence was filled by a distant growl of thunder.

It was going to be a long day.

**********

Even above the cacophonous sound of the storm raging over Purgatory for the fourth straight night in a row, Nicole’s ears tuned into the soft sound of stifled whimpers coming from the nursery. Quietly closing the book that had been failing to hold her interest with all the questions swirling through her head, she placed it on the nightstand and sat up more fully in bed, the bed covers sliding down to pool around her waist.

A frown creased her brow as another more urgent whimper met her ears. Leaning over, she checked on Waverly but her love was, for the moment, still sleeping soundly beneath the heavy cocoon of blankets she was burrowed down under.

Lightning flashed brightly, illuminating the bedroom with its harsh glow. The thunder that followed it was so close and so loud that it vibrated through their home and drowned out the howling wind and drumming rain, and brought with it an even more fearful whimper that had Nicole folding back the covers and climbing from the warmth of their bed. She scooped up a spare flannel and pulled it on to ward off the chill in the air the storm had brought with it.

“Nic?” Waverly lifted her head sleepily as she felt the bed shift and felt the loss of Nicole’s warmth and comforting presence at her side. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“It’s okay, just one of the girls awake again. I’ve got it. You go back to sleep baby,” she lulled gently. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to the top of Waverly’s sleep-tousled hair and breathed in her soft scent.

Bernie greeted her at the nursery door, his usual bounce and wiggle were subdued and there was a worried look in his mismatched eyes that had nothing to do with his own disquiet about the storms that had been plaguing their lives. His soft ears flew back and his body cowering closer to the ground as the thunder rumbled loud enough to vibrate through the house again.

“I feel ya, buddy,” she whispered in soft sympathy as the noise pierced her ears and shake her bones enough to make her wince even though her abilities were dampened.

Nicole quietly stepped through the open doorway and moved further into the nursery with Bernie bravely leading the way with his tail clamped between his legs instead of being raised and arched over his back.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the room and highlighting the puzzled and confused looks on Mel and Jas’ faces as they looked from their sisters’ bed to her. Kat and Dom were huddled together with Calamity Jane right in the middle of them offering up her services as guardian, and her plush ginger fur as comfort to them both. It was more than obvious that it was Dom she had heard whimper though as when her face eventually lifted enough for it to be seen as it was red and blotchy from the tears she had shed.

“Oh, sweetie!” Nicole whispered sadly. The storms were tough on all of them with their sensitive young wolf ears amplifying everything beyond their ability to control and understand. But of all of them, Dom was barely able to handle them at all. Holding out her arms, a gentle soothing purr welled through her, rumbling through her chest and out from her mouth as Dom launched herself out of her huddled position in the corner of their bed with a soft cry and clung to her desperately.

Nicole ran her hand up and down the heaving, trembling curve of Dom’s back, her body swaying instinctively as she tried to assuage her daughter’s fears.

“Is the nasty storm scaring you?”

Dom was pressed so tightly against her that Nicole couldn’t see her face but she felt the frantic nod of her head where it lay against her neck and shoulder and felt the tightening of her arms around her and the jerk of her body as another crack of thunder shook the window in its frame.

Snatching up a throw from the rocking chair by the window, Nicole draped the soft thickness of it around them both, tucking it around Dom to protect her from the sights and sounds of the storm.

“What’s wrong?” Waverly asked quietly as she came to stand at Nicole’s side. Her brow furrowing in concern, she pressed her hand to Dom’s back and felt the trembles wracking her tiny body as she pushed herself impossibly closer against Nicole.

“The storm is bothering her… bothering all of them really but it’s really getting to our Dom tonight. Babe, could you fix some blankets up at our windows and get out the emergency throw pillows?” Nicole would have handed Dom over to Waverly’s care and done it herself but she didn’t think that Dom would have been willing to let her go, not with how desperately she was clinging to her.

Leaning back, Waverly gazed up at Nicole and narrowed her eyes playfully at her. “You’re plotting… what are you plotting?”

“Get busy and you’ll find out,” Nicole smirked softly as Waverly huffed at her playfully before lighting up the room with a smile, a plan obviously forming in her brilliant mind as she left the room again.

Nicole continued to soothe her daughter, humming and purring under her breath and swaying from side-to-side until she got a whisper through their connection to let her know that Waverly was satisfied with what she had done and heard her quiet steps heading their way.

“Leave room for the rest of us, C.J,” Waverly called over her shoulder as Calamity leapt down from the bed and strutted right on by with an imperious swish of her tail and a throaty meow as she made her way towards their room to check on what she had done.

Waverly gathered up what seemed to be an endless collection of babies, stuffed toys and favoured blankets and pillows and shepherded everything, including Bernie, after Nicole. It tore her heart to pieces to see her daughter so obviously distressed once again, but she was in the best place that Waverly had ever known… Nicole’s loving arms.

“Wow, baby!”

“Is it okay?” Waverly wrung her hands together as Nicole paused on the threshold of their bedroom and looked around. The look of pure, unadulterated love and wonder that flowed from the perfect, warm brown of her eyes had her bouncing on her toes eagerly.

“Waves! It’s perfect! You wanna see what mama’s got ready for you, sweetie?” she chuckled as Dom cautiously lifted her head and peeked out from the blanket shrouding her. “Isn’t this pretty, baby?”

“Pretty,” Dom agreed quietly.

Waverly’s heart melted as Dom yawned and tucked her head back against Nicole’s neck, her nose nuzzling against her in an instinctive search for her comforting Alpha scent.

The thick blankets she had draped up at all the windows kept out the worst flashes of lightning and shrouded the room in an extra comforting layer of darkness that was broken only by the soft glow of a string of fairy lights above their slightly cracked and much-abused headboard. The thunder and pounding rain that beat at their house and the land were harder to keep out but her iPhone set up to play a soothing playlist helped to take the edge off it. And if it didn’t… There were certainly plenty of pillows and blankets heaped upon the bed to burrow under and use to muffle the worst of it.

“I remembered how much they all loved the lights Raven set up for them and figured it might help distract her from any flashes,” Waverly explained as she stepped forward and tucked herself against Nicole’s side as Nicole lifted her arm in invitation. Placing her hand upon Dom’s back, she could already feel the difference in how much more relaxed their baby was.

“Where did Calamity run off too?”

“She’s on the bed, silly,” Waverly chuckled.

“Really?” Cocking her head on one side, Nicole stared at the bed, running her eyes over every lump and pillow in search of a patch of ginger fur. A wave of sadness settled over her, weighing heavily against her chest when she couldn’t make her out until CJ chose to shift position and revealed herself.

She had lost so much that she used to just take for granted.

She couldn’t shift at all and she missed that but sometimes it was the little things that bothered her the most and made every day, perfectly normal tasks feel like she was working in slow motion or trying to wade through quicksand to do anything.

“Nic—”

“Let’s go to bed,” Nicole quickly interrupted Waverly. Softening any bite in her tone, she pressed a lingering kiss to her brow and offered her an apologetic smile. The look she got back was concerned but understanding with a hint of ‘we will talk about this’ in the way her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed at her.

Waverly folded back her side of the covers and chuckled at the sight of Kat and Mel curled up on her usual place. “Scoot on over a bit,” she urged gently. They were excited at the prospect of sharing their bed but the storm and their concern about Dom, evident in the way they all crowded closer to their sister and Nicole as soon as they had the chance, had them a little fearful too.

As they settled and found their place, Waverly pulled covers up over them, cocooning them within the warm weight. Bernie leapt up lightly, a soft whine on his lips that eased as he curled up amongst the throw pillows below the girls’ feet and Calamity joined him, her usual standoffish nature abandoned as she offered him comfort and curled up around his lightly trembling body.

Waverly smiled tenderly as she settled down on the other side of the girls and looked across the loving expanse of tiny bodies between them and met Nicole’s soft gaze. Dom was still curled within Nicole’s arms but the change in position had roused her a little and restored her usual confidence and caring nature.

Waverly bit her lip as Dom shifted, her tiny hand pushing at Nicole’s shirt near her waist so she could search Nicole’s skin with her hand and eyes. It was where she had been wounded. Her eyes met Nicole’s again, understanding passing between them.

_“The storm reminds her of you being hurt.”_

Swallowing harshly, Nicole nodded, not daring to trust her voice or thoughts to hold up as tears sprang to her eyes and threatened to spill over.

“Mama’s okay, sweetie,” she gently assured her precious daughter. “See, nothing there.” She pulled her top out of the way so Dom could get a better look. “All better. Even the bruises are all gone now thanks to you.”

A thoughtful look crossed Dom’s face that crossed into serious as she turned her gaze away from where she had been bitten by Kukulkan and where her ribs had been bruised more recently by the falling tree. But as Dom’s fingers ran over her, Nicole knew it was what she had seen after Kukulkan’s attack that was the root of it all and what came to mind when it was storming.

“Hurt mama?”

“Yes, I was. But I’m all better now, sweetie. It can’t hurt me anymore.”

“Promise?”

“Pinkie promise.” A smile broke across Dom’s face as her tiny little finger looped around hers to seal the solemn and binding deal between mother and daughter.

With warmth and comfort surrounding her, and Waverly singing soft lullabies, it wasn’t long before Dom’s fierce grip on their pinkie promise softened. But even as her eyes fluttered shut, she snuggled closer, her breath puffing out soft and warm against Nicole’s collarbone.

Waverly watched over them all, assuaging herself that they were all okay with brushes of her fingers across downy cheeks and silky hair, as the storm slowly faded away into the distance.

Above the girls’ heads where they lay upon the pillows, she met Nicole’s sleepy gaze. She smiled at her, the curve of her lips soft and sleepy. Waverly saw the hint of sadness in it though and felt it through their connection.

No matter how often she said she was okay, it was there. The heavy weight of sadness at losing her ability to change. The constant fear that without her wolf that she wouldn’t be good enough.

“It’s going to be okay, Nicole. You’re no less amazing for what happened but we’ll work it out and fix this.”

“What if it can’t be fixed, Waves?”

“What did I just say?”

“That I’m no less amazing,” Nicole parroted obediently under the weight of Waverly’s stare. “I still feel it though… I feel less. And what if because of that I’m not good enough to—”

“You will _always_ be good enough,” Waverly stated firmly with utter conviction. “We’ll work it out, Nicole. I promise.”

“Pinkie promise?”

“Pinkie promise.” Entwining their fingers together upon the pillow, Waverly stroked the fingers of her free hand across Nicole’s cheek and jaw, cupping it as Nicole pressed her face into the touch and allowed her eyes to drift shut.

No matter how long it too… No matter how often everyone muttered and shook their heads in defeat… They _would_ find a way to reunite the two parts of Nicole.

And if they didn’t. If they couldn’t…

Nicole was no less Nicole. She was no less her soulmate nor any less an Alpha.

“My Alpha… My love,” she whispered quietly into the stillness of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - I had the second part of this chapter written for a long time so I hope it doesn't read too much like Nicole is taking an emotional step back but as someone that struggles with depression and anxiety I personally go through days where I go through a whole range of emotions, self doubts, questioning everything I know to be true, and all that fun stuff so fast I leave myself spinning and even when she was at her full wolfy best, Nicole was always wondering if she was good enough.
> 
> Next chapter, Nicole and Waverly pay a visit to Gretta... And we know how that went in the show ;)


	30. Chapter 30

Nicole couldn’t help but hold her breath as she slowly, oh so very slowly, pulled her vehicle to a halt before the line of the Perley property. The memory of the barrier Mattie had used to protect her property against the Bulshar bloodline with and how it had felt to ram through it in a car, in a desperate and dangerous attempt to get onto the property, was all too clear in her mind.

They— she, had been doing regular visits to keep an eye on Gretta since their battle against Bulshar to make sure that she knew they were there for her. Guilt for what had happened to Mattie and concern for Gretta herself, kept her trying to keep a connection of some kind, a way back for Gretta when she felt ready, no matter how often she rejected them and pushed them away.

Waverly leaned forward in her seat, her eyes raking over the land sprawled out before them. The property had never looked like it was going to win any landscaping awards, but then, with the harshness of the land and the weather, not many in Purgatory would. In the short time since their battle with Bulshar and the loss of Mattie though, nature seemed to have done its best to reclaim the land.

The wrought sculptures Mattie had created that stood as silent sentries around the area, even the newer ones, were rusted to the point they were starting to collapse in on themselves. Tall weeds and vines were tangled around them and were crawling their way up the new building that housed the forge. “This place is looking rough,” she breathed out on a sad sigh.

“Yeah. I don’t think she’s even run the forge since Mattie was killed.”

Just saying that had the moment flashing across Nicole’s memory as sharp as the knife Bobo Del Rey had dragged across Mattie’s throat; spilling her blood and life upon the floor to torment her. The memory swirled and merged with that of her mother’s death to cruelly fill in gaps that her young age had protected her from.

Waverly gasped, her eyes jerking from what lay beyond the interior of the car to Nicole as she felt pain and anguish welling up within her. To feel it so strongly she knew that it had to be almost overwhelming for Nicole even before she heard her moan.

“Nicole!” A hand on her forearm found muscles chorded to steel with the strength of her grip upon the wheel that had the stiff plastic groaning. Twisting in her seat, Waverly ran her hand down so she could touch Nicole’s where it was curled around the wheel. “Baby, it’s okay!”

The soft, insistent brush of Waverly’s thumb across the back of her hand and the distant lull of her voice calling her name dragged Nicole slowly back to herself. Sucking in a ragged breath, she loosened her fierce grip upon the steering wheel and fell into the feel of Waverly’s hand entwining with hers and the gentle rub and squeeze of her fingers working at the nape of her neck.

Lifting their joined hands, she pressed a kiss to the back of Waverly’s and gave her a smile of gratitude. She could see the questions burning in Waverly’s eyes, and normally she would be willing to answer them but right then they had more pressing matters to deal with. And for once, it was something that wasn’t related to her parentage… at least, Nicole hoped it didn’t.

“Just bad memories, babe. I’m okay,” she quietly assured her. “I can see Gretta’s car around the side so looks like she’s here.”

Nodding, Waverly reluctantly released Nicole’s hand so she could steer the car between the posts of the metal lynch gate, thankfully wider than the original the fire department had bulldozed their way through on the way to put out the fire in the forge. Even that was showing signs of decay on the way it was leaning drunkenly to one side.

“What is happening here?”

Nicole spared the post closest to her window a glance as she drove past it, taking in the way the rust was travelling up from the ground and eating away at the sturdy metal like a disease. “Could be the lack of a Blacksmith… or that the resident Iron Witch is heartbroken?”

“We’ve got to help her, Nicole.”

“She’s got to be willing to admit that she needs help and ready to accept it first, Waves. Until then, all we can do is be there for her.”

“I know,” Waverly sighed. “Doesn’t mean I’m not worried or want to help.”

“Me too,” Nicole whispered back, gently reaching for and squeezing her hand as they gravitated towards each other as usual.

Thick weeds rising up from the dusty ground that had once been a well-worn and clear path to the small house set further back from the forge tugged insistently at their feet as though warning them to stay away but they kept moving. With every step, Nicole kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. Their relationship with Mattie and Gretta had been fraught from the start thanks to Bulshar and the all too real threat he had posed, but it was Gretta’s recent threat when Waverly had reached out to her that had Nicole on edge.

She didn’t like or want to think that Gretta would do anything. But she wasn’t going to risk it, especially not with Waverly there.

Holding out a hand, Nicole urged Waverly to take a step back as they reached the house… a precaution that had Waverly huffing at her slightly as, of the two of them, Waverly was the strongest and most bulletproof right then, but Nicole didn’t relent and hushed her with a quick glance as she stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door.

With a creak of rusted hinges, the door swung open slightly under the pressure of her knock.

“Gretta?”

Pressing a hand flat to the wood, Nicole slowly pushed on the door, still knocking with her free hand to try and alert Gretta of their company… if the squeal of the hinges wasn’t enough to give that away on its own.

“Gretta! It’s Nicole and Waverly. Are you in?” She waited a moment, her ears straining for any signs of life within. “Waves?” she questioned without even taking her eyes off the door.

“Not getting anything. Nothing fresh anyway,” she added as she drew in a breath, filling her lungs with every scent trapped within the house. Even with the assurance, she heard the quiet noise of Nicole’s long fingers as they brushed across the weapon at her hip but she made no attempt to draw it as she eased the door open further.

“What the?” Nicole let out a low whistle. “Waves, I think you’ve got competition for your crown of scrapbooking champion.”

“Huh?” Waverly peeked around Nicole’s shoulder curiously and promptly smacked Nicole on the shoulder when she saw what her love had seen. “Hey!” Pushing against her shoulder, she made her way inside to get a better look at all the photographs, news clippings and pages torn from books that seemed to be covering every available inch of the old log walls.

“Gretta?!” Even though Waverly had already said there was no one there, Nicole felt compelled to call out just in case but there was unsurprisingly no response. “Stay here, I’ll take a quick look around.”

Already engrossed in what was before her, Waverly nodded and followed the trail of paper around the room. Picking up the threads of the timeline mapped out, she made an attempt to see what Gretta had been trying to investigate on her room-sized murder board.

Waverly was impressed and maybe even a little envious even if she hoped that she never had anything to research that would require so much room.

Nicole moved quickly from room to room, announcing herself before opening each of the few doors that were there. She didn’t linger beyond taking a quick look around but what she managed to take in was enough to trouble her on an instinctual level. The whole place with dusty and uncared for in a way that it hadn’t been before but that could be explained away by a severe depressive episode hitting and taking away Gretta’s desire to even care for herself or her surroundings. But it didn’t, she hoped, explain the scorch marks on the floors and furniture, or the oil lamps placed on metal trays, precisely in the centres of each room.

She found herself back in the main room with Waverly, her feet taking her along a trail of small, precise scorch marks that led to another of the lamps, this one with a small flame flickering along the wick, in the middle of the room. They had come there hoping to find answers but so far there were just more questions waiting to be asked and no one to answer any of them.

Stepping around the table, Nicole moved to Waverly’s side where she was standing, her arms gesticulating wildly and widely as she traced paths around the evidence and muttered to herself. Before her were several carefully placed and labelled photographs pinned to the wall. It was obvious that there was something important there as there was nothing overlapping them as had happened in other places around the room. Not wanting to get in the way of Waverly’s pacing or her train of thought, Nicole stayed a step back to give her a clear path to pace along and waited until her body grew silent and still as she reached a conclusion… or just ran out of steam.

“You been able to find anything from that lot, babe?”

“Not much,” Waverly frowned. “Seems to be mostly about the Perley family history. And I’m pretty sure I saw a couple of pages that look like spells so I’m not even going to think about reading those… especially not out loud. Reading them might be enough to actually cast the spell,” she explained as Nicole leaned closer to the pages she’d indicated.

“Okay!” Nicole jumped backwards at Waverly’s explanation. “Staying _well_ away from that! Got enough going on without accidentally summoning a demon or something worse.”

“What could be worse than a demon?” Waverly mused quietly, her brow creasing as she studied the looping path of a piece of red wool to several photographs before her.

“No idea. And no desire to find out either so...” reaching out, she snagged Waverly and eased her away before her curious nature could get them into trouble. “Nope, none of that.”

“Hey, I’m being careful,” she pouted.

“Like you were being careful that night we first met?” she teased softly, nuzzling their noses together fondly at the memory.

“In my defence,” Waverly smiled playfully. “I was hungry and you smell like vanilla dipped doughnuts,” she purred throatily. Spinning in Nicole’s light embrace, she trapped her warm hands beneath her own on her waist so her back was pressed against Nicole’s front and they were both facing the photographs. “Most of this here,” she gave a quick gesture to the entire room, “seems to all lead back to this, the main focus of Gretta’s research,” she tapped the faded back and white photograph of what looked to be a young woman in her mid to late teens and an older man posed outside a white church that was helpfully labelled. “Maeve Perley, Purgatory 1887.”

Nicole leaned closer a growl rising up through her throat as a warning spark seemed to travel up her spine to raise the hair on the nape of her neck and set her teeth on edge.

The girl, Maeve was pretty in a homely way, but with the cameras at the time meaning people had to stand still for longer, she was standing stiffly as though posed, her face lacking emotion in a way that just felt so forced and unnatural to Nicole. What was she like? Was she as she looked in the photo or did she run off laughing the moment she was released by the photographer?

And what was her relationship with the man? Did she just help out at the church? Was he a relative? Were they, eww, married?

That last thought didn’t sit well with Nicole even though she knew it was probably ‘normal’ for the times to marry off a child at that age but she was only a child and the man was so much older.

He was difficult to make out from the photograph as it looked like he had turned at the wrong moment and caught the abilities of the ancient camera lacking. But not even the blur or the ridiculously bushy, dark moustache he was sporting that hid his features and made Doc’s almost look normal, could hide who he was or where the photo was taken. “That’s… Motherfucker! That’s Juan Carlo! That’s his church!”

“So, another link back to the angels then,” Waverly growled. “Whatever Gretta was looking for though, it wasn’t about him or them, Nicole.” Frowning softly, she turned them both slowly as her eyes jumped from photo to photo. “I know there’s more of those feathered bastards around but I haven’t seen Kevin or Julian in any of the others. I’m sure it all leads to this girl—”

“Maeve.”

“What the—” Nicole whipped around, her hand dropping to the weapon at her side as she tried to work out where the strange, high-pitched, feminine voice had come from in the room. There was no one in sight and a quick shake of Waverly’s head let her know that she couldn’t smell anything, but the voice was there… hissing and cracking through the air, laced with a hatred that was stinging in its intensity as though she was standing too close to an open flame.

“Who’s there?” Nicole demanded.

“Already told you!”

Waverly stepped out from the shelter of Nicole’s body. “Maeve?”

“At least one of you listens.”

Nicole bristled at the taunting tone clear in the voice but held her tongue. As long as this Maeve was speaking there was a chance of getting through to her or at least finding out where she was.

“You’re Maeve Perley? That, Maeve Perley?” she gestured back to the photograph.

“You know of another Maeve Perley?”

“Nicole, the lamp.”

“Clever girl!”

Nicole’s jaw dropped in shock as she looked at the lamp before them and watched as the flame flickered and rose to the cadence of Maeve’s voice. “What the hell?”

Turning, Waverly snatched a page off the wall. “It’s all here, well some of it, Maeve was—”

“Is!” Maeve barked out angrily.

“—is, a fire witch.”

“Last of my line,” Maeve sighed.

“According to this, she was killed not more than six months after that photograph was taken?”

“What happened?” Nicole asked softly.

“Men happened,” Maeve snarled.

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Nicole rolled her eyes.

“They hated that I dared to help _their_ women out when they needed medicine. They dared to attack me in my own home and after I defended myself they called in a passing Marshall. He trapped me in here and let them exact their revenge without even hearing my side of things!”

Waverly’s eyes fell back to the photograph, her eyes fixing upon the date as dread started rising up higher than the flames bursting from the lamp. She’d done her research on the area, on her family, and knew that there was only one Marshall working the area at that time. “Wyatt Earp.”

“Wyatt Earp!” Maeve confirmed with a snarl. “And I have waited so, _so_ long for revenge!”

“What he did was terrible but that was years ago, Maeve. He’s long gone! Why haven’t you tried anything before? I’ve been here many times before! Why now?” Waverly demanded as she resisted Nicole’s attempts to get her to move towards the door.

“I was trapped without form or voice in the forge. But now,” she whispered lowly drawing the young Earp girl closer, “I’m free!”

“No!” Nicole leapt forward as Maeve’s tiny flickering flame suddenly grew a dark, angry red that scorched her flesh from feet away before billowing and bursting forth from the lamp towards Waverly.

Before she could even react, Waverly felt Nicole’s hand pushing her away and saw in slow motion as fire burst across Nicole’s face as she tumbled back towards the floor. Pain radiated across her back and elbows as they struck the hard, unforgiving wood to be forgotten beneath the wave of terror that had her scrambling to her knees to reach for Nicole who was standing there, her body hunched over…

…Her silence broken by a giggle.

“Nicole!”

“Well, that was an unexpected rush.”

“Nicole?” Frowning in confusion, Waverly reached out, her hand trembling inches away from Nicole’s back. “You…” she drew back, her confusion growing as Nicole’s scent seemed to change, the fresh vanilla scent she loved growing dark and bitter… burnt.

“I _did_ mean to walk out of here wearing the body of my murderers kin but… hmm, this will do. Yes, this will do.” Holding out her new hands, Maeve turned them back and forth, studying them appreciatively as she became used to how they felt and worked along with the rest of her body.

“Maeve? No! No, you can’t do this!” Grabbing her by the arm, Waverly forced her around to better see her face. A cruel, childish laugh came from her mouth, twisting familiar, much-loved features into harsh lines that looked out of place.

“Can do. Is done,” Maeve smirked.

“Nicole! I know you’re still in there—”

“She can’t— help—”

Waverly’s ears perked up as Maeve’s voice twisting Nicole’s voice went from supreme confidence to a stuttering confusion in a matter of seconds. Her stolen body hunched over, a frown creasing her brow as her hands clenched into the fabric of Nicole’s uniform shirt.

“No, no, no! This can’t be!”

“Fight her, Nicole! Fight!”

“Thought— she was purely— Wolf.”

“Descended from Yiska,” Waverly grinned into the witch’s face even as Maeve hauled her closer to scream into her face.

“Oh well, back to my original plan then!”

Nicole pushed at the presence crowding her mind in a desperate attempt to fight for more space. It felt like she had been driven back by a wall of fire and crammed into a too tight box. Even over the roar of the flames, she could still make out Waverly’s voice calling for her, pulling her back and urging her to fight.

It gave Nicole the strength to rile against the unseen monster.

She pushed and clawed, roaring in anger for every scrap of herself she claimed back for Waverly until with one last push she felt Maeve flee in a burning wave that scorched a path up her throat to be expelled on a ragged cough of billowing smoke as she collapsed to her knees.

“Okay… okay, now this is more like it. Would you look at the guns on this one,” Maeve flexed her new arms and nodded appreciatively as she took in everything that made up her new body. “Not bad for such a small package! Fit. Wardrobe could do with a little work though,” she muttered, tugging on the hem of the too short top uncertainly. It was so different than the style she was used to when she was alive but. “I can see why you like her so much!” Maeve grinned tauntingly at the redheaded wolf struggling to climb to her feet.

Nicole surged upwards, grabbing Waverly by the upper arms. No. Not Waverly. She could see the flicker of flames in her hazel eyes and taste the lies of the witch still scratching at her throat as the gaps in her memory as she had been held back came back to her. “Get out of her!”

“But I like this one, Nicole. And, you’re not bad. I never got to be with anyone like _that_ but we could still have fun,” she purred, running her hands appreciatively over Nicole’s body. “Yes, lots of fun I think.”

Nicole felt sick as she stiffened her arms, holding Maeve away from her as far as she could, without letting her go. “You might be wearing her face, Maeve, but you aren’t the woman I love. And, I know something you don’t seem to have worked out yet.”

“Oh?” Maeve tilted her head, curious despite herself. “And what’s that? ‘Cause you know, I know everything about this body that is now mine. Everything Waverly was and is, all her fears, everything she likes. Oh my, that’s an interesting subject too,” she smirked, casting a look up and down the long lines of Nicole’s body.

Twisting Maeve around in her arms, Nicole tightened her grip around her waist, in what would be a futile attempt to contain her and stop her from breaking free and escaping if Maeve realised the power she had at her disposal before Waverly could act. “I know,” she grunted as Maeve tried to get enough room to elbow her, “that apparently you only like the taste of pure werewolves and Waverly Earp is so much more than just Wyatt Earp’s descendant.”

Nicole yanked and pushed Maeve across the room towards a mirror and held her in front of it.

“I know that while Waverly is an extraordinary woman, the woman I love and the mother of my daughters. I know that her mother is a Gibson. A moon witch…” tangling her fist in her long hair, Nicole forced Maeve to look directly into the mirror as she renewed her struggling in her arms, a frantic plea for mercy spilling from her mouth. “And I know that right now, Waverly is snuffing your flame out!”

Nicole held on for all she was worth as Waverly’s eyes filled with the glow of the moon, its sheer brilliance smothering the flames until they were forced to leave or be extinguished forever. As they flew from Waverly’s mouth and bounced off the mirror, Nicole pulled them both aside and out of the way before it could hit either of them again.

The flame that was Maeve bounced weakly across the room like a burning ember caught at the mercy of a breeze to alight back on the lamp.

“That- that was so much worse than New Year’s two-thousand twelve,” Waverly coughed weakly, grimacing at the acrid taste cloying at her throat as she clung to Nicole’s strong shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Nicole pulled Waverly closer, cradling her on her lap to feel more of her body pressed to hers. Breathing in, she absorbed the scent of her where her mark was etched into Waverly’s flesh as Waverly did the same to her.

“Hmmm, fresh vanilla dipped doughnuts,” purring appreciatively, Waverly took a testing bite of the smooth, warm flesh beneath her lips and ran her tongue across it when she found that the scent had lost every trace of Maeve’s influence upon it.

Which reminded her…

Rolling off of Nicole’s lap, Waverly surged towards the lamp with a snarl but found herself brought up short by an arm looped around her waist. “Nicole!”

“Whoa there, tiger! Probably best to not get close to the nasty, people possessing flame. Hmm?”

“Fine! I’ll huff and puff her out from here!” Waverly growled stubbornly.

“As tempting as that sounds… all the crying she’s doing is kind of spoiling the revenge mood, Waves.” Nicole pointed out gently, drawing Waverly’s attention to that fact that, as far as she could make out, Maeve was weeping. Not crocodile tears but honest to god, gut-wrenching sobs that even after being possessed by her they still managed to tug at Nicole’s heart.

Nicole wasn’t sure what they should do about Maeve but all thoughts and potential plans flew out the window, tossed aside by the main door to the house suddenly bursting inwards to bang against the wall as Gretta tumbled inside with her dark hair a wild storm around her face and her eyes wide and crazed as they shot around the room before alighting on them.

She barrelled into them, pushing them forcefully from the room and into the small kitchen with her eyes fixed upon the lamp as she tried to push them straight on out through the door there to the outside.

“Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here? You need to leave!”

“Would that be because of Maeve?”

Gretta’s eyes widened and searched Nicole’s in alarm at the name coming from her mouth but she could see no sign of Maeve looking back at her. “You— you know?!” She paced in agitation, keeping herself between them and the door back to the living room. “You need to get out of here before she tries to—”

“Possess us? Been there, done that,” Waverly drawled. “Turns out we’re not the wolves she’s looking for.”

“Waves. Seriously? A Star Wars reference?” Nicole admonished her gently before fixing Gretta with a glare that had the witch stepping back. “In all seriousness though, Gretta… What the fuck is going on?! You hate me so much you felt the need to call up something like that?”

“What?!” Gretta blinked at Nicole, incredulous at the accusation… no… the self-recrimination in Nicole’s voice. “No. God, no. That…” she gestured back to the living room. “That, Maeve, was a mistake,” she sighed.

“Talk to us,” Waverly urged gently. “Let us help.”

“I’m not sure that anything can,” Gretta admitted. “You said she tried to possess you both?”

“Yes. We didn’t seem to be to her taste though.”

“I’m glad about that. Her only way out of here is by taking over the body of a werewolf.”

“Which is why you didn’t want us to come here?” Waverly nodded in realisation.

“Exactly. She can’t take me over because I’m a witch and our powers don’t match but you two…” she looked at them both, delighted but confused as to why Maeve hadn’t been able to take over arguably two of the most powerful werewolves she had ever met or heard of.

“Turns out my mama’s descended from witches… the Gibson’s?” She saw the name spark recognition within Gretta, and saw her mouth silently form the words ‘moon witch’. “Yeah, not exactly sure what that means if anything, but it stopped Maeve from being able to keep hold of me.”

“Just being descended wouldn’t be enough, there has to be an active power there too. There is, isn’t there?” Waverly gave a gesture that was a mix of a hesitant nod and a shrug. “And you, Nicole?”

“Short version… An angel stripped me of my wolf. I can’t shift any more so I’m probably not wolf enough.”

“Nicole,” stepping closer to the taller woman, Gretta held up a hand, pressing at the air between them. “Believe me. You are still all wolf. I can feel it,” curling her hand she ran her fingers through the energy that felt like fur. The strength of it had her biting back a soft gasp as it bit at her fingers like sharp teeth demanding respect. “Why you can’t shift is something I would need to look into more, and I will, but you are every inch the wolf you have always been.”

“Then why couldn’t Maeve—”

“You are every inch the same wolf, but you have always been more than just wolf. And if you invoke the name of that bastard in my home I will magic the coffee pot and every other metal object in this kitchen over to slap you around the back of your stubborn head,” she warned. “Look at that smug expression on Waverly’s face. Your mate has already worked it out.”

“Séquoia,” Waverly stated smugly, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Your mother’s side protected you.” She knew that it didn’t change the fact that Nicole still couldn’t change but she knew it would help the stubborn woman she loved to hear that Gretta still saw and felt her as a wolf.

“Okay, fine. We’re not what she needs to get out of here. What happened that she’s here at all though? Pack have visited here often and have never said anything… what changed?”

“I made a mistake,” Gretta sighed. Opening the living room door for a moment she looked at the flame spluttering sadly within the lamp. “Maeve’s ghost has essentially been trapped on this land since…”

“Since Wyatt believed the word of the angry mob instead of investigating for himself,” Waverly growled bitterly.

“Yes,” Gretta nodded. “She was only helping the women of the area when there was no one else to do so. No one willing anyway. Ironically not even using her powers to do so. And for that, she was burned alive. We all knew her growing up but she was harmless and mostly just helps Mattie out in the forge. After— After Mattie— I don’t blame you for what happened Nicole, never think that. Bulshar and Bobo were the ones to blame and they are both gone. But after losing Mattie I was just so desperately alone,” she drew in a breath as pain lanced through her chest. “I tried to run her forge again but I’m not Mattie. I’m not the Blacksmith. Being there… it was torture… feeling close and yet so very far from her at the same time. Because of that I was an idiot and tried to use magic to communicate with her. Her spirit has moved on and is at peace though so there was nothing to reach apart from—”

“Maeve,” Nicole sighed in understanding.

“Mhm,” pursing her lips, she cast a glance back reproachfully at Maeve’s flame. “One very angry, teenage fire witch.”

“I just wanted to get out,” Maeve called out on a broken sob.

“You getting out means the death of the person you possess, Maeve! That will eat at your soul and corrupt it, and you know it!”

“Not saying I agree with her methods or anything,” Waverly whispered, “but I do kind of feel sorry for Maeve.”

“Waves—”

“I know, I know.”

“I’ve tried to help her move on but she refuses to go.”

“All I ever wanted was to be of help to people but my life was cut short and now I have nothing to do because Gretta will not light the forge.”

“Gretta, I’m not saying this because of Maeve but… Is it wise for you to deny your powers?”

“I can’t run the forge, Nicole! That was Mattie’s!”

“Gretta,” Waverly whispered softly, her hand coming to rest on Gretta’s tense shoulder. “Everything is rusting outside, is that because Mattie is gone?”

“No,” Gretta deflated under Waverly’s hand. “No, that’s me,” she sighed. “Because I’m not using my powers, not working the iron, it bleeds out into the land. And… right now it is tainted by my sorrow. It just hurts too much, Waverly. It hurts! We’d only just reconnected and now she’s gone!”

“She’s still with you, Gretta. I know you can’t see that right now through your pain but she’s always in your memories and in your heart. Don’t lock her away. For your sake and hers.”

“I can’t be the Blacksmith, Waverly.”

“No one is asking you to take her place. No one could ever replace someone else. She was the best at what she did… and you are the best at what you do. I know that personally and because Mattie was always singing your praises. And, when you’re ready. I would love to talk about her with you so we can remember her together.”

Waverly pulled the taller woman into her arms as she collapsed and became small against her with a broken sob.

“I miss her too.”

Nicole moved to the doorway as the tiny splutter of a voice coming sadly from the lamp. “You knew her well?”

“She always talked to me when I tended the forge for her. Even though I was too weak to talk back. But we managed. She always talked about Gretta. Was always hopeful that she would join her again. She loved it when they created things together, that was her greatest joy and I loved it too the few chances I got to work the forge for them both.”

Her flame burned brighter in joy, dancing upon the end of the wick before growing dim and still once more.

“I miss her,” she sighed wistfully. “When Gretta returned to the forge I had hoped… but she was only looking for Mattie and I got caught in her spell instead. I wasn’t wanted so I have sought only to leave and find somewhere for myself.”

Nicole wasn’t sure if they could fully trust anything Maeve said, she had tried to possess them after all. But there was something genuine and completely open about her right then that had her wanting to believe just as much as Waverly seemed to be willing to do.

And, apparently, Gretta.

“I didn’t know you were so close to her.”

“How could you. Until that day I was silent. You were not to know what would happen… that you would end up with me instead of her.”

“Maybe you both ended up with what you needed,” Waverly offered. “From what you said, Mattie is at rest, you can both have peace in that, and you can maybe help heal each other now that Maeve has got a voice?”

“As long as Maeve doesn’t try possessing anyone again,” Nicole pointed out.

“I will not,” Maeve assured the wolf eagerly. “I am sorry for what I tried to do… ashamed really. Father Carlo always told me I should learn to control my temper and speak instead of reacting rashly and I forgot his teachings.”

“Yes, Juan Carlo… Maeve, did you know what he was?”

“I’m not sure I understand? I used to help at his church; writing up letters, taking notes and the like.”

“He was an angel. And I mean that in the literal sense.”

“You mentioned an angel before,” Gretta frowned. “What has been going on while I’ve been trapped in my grief?”

“That could take a while to explain,” Nicole grimaced.

“I’ve got the time if you have.”

“As have I,” Maeve added, her flame burning brighter at the thought that she might be able to offer an opinion and help for once.

“Okay…”

**********

Silence followed as Nicole’s voice faded away as she finally came to the end and had caught Gretta and Maeve up on everything that had been happening. Gretta’s eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open slightly in shock. As to Maeve, there was no way for Waverly to tell from her form as a flame as to what she thought of everything she had heard, but Waverly was fairly sure that she would be sporting the same expression as Gretta.

“I might be able to fill you in on some things,” Maeve offered with quiet, subdued eagerness. “I have overheard things over the years since I died. It has been many years though so my recollection might be a little off.”

“What do you remember?” Waverly sat forward on her seat eagerly.

“For one, the gnome you have met. I remember a woman coming to visit Gretta and Mattie’s mother, she was the Blacksmith before Mattie. She told a tale of a gnome… a couple maybe? They had been cursed by a Stone witch years before, maybe a hundred all told. She was jealous of them and cursed them, turning them to stone so they couldn’t be together. The woman said that they could break free of the curse and move as flesh again but never at the same time as each other.”

“That’s got to be Trickett!”

“What did the woman want?”

“A cure for them. She had found them on her families land… Gibson land. Once she realised what was going on she swore to help break the curse. Your mother said she would look into it but if she came back it wasn’t too the forge so I never heard anything more. Now it sounds like what they tried failed.”

“Or the woman never came back,” Waverly whispered. “The woman, did you hear a name? Was it Michelle?” She knew the answer was even before Maeve’s flame shot higher and she confirmed it. “I’m betting they never got a chance to break the curse because Mama was gone.”

Nicole gave Waverly’s hand a gentle squeeze, stilling their restless wringing. “Maeve, is there any chance you can remember how to break the curse?”

“I knew plans were drawn up but I never saw them.”

“Mattie kept most of our mom’s designs and stuff like that… there’s a chance, a pretty good one, that it’s in the attic still. If it’s around, I’ll find it. And, with Maeve’s help, I will do my best to help finish the job,” Gretta offered.

For the first time since Mattie had died, she felt hope flare within her and soar of the wings of Maeve’s joyous burst of heat and Waverly’s excited bouncing.

“That would be amazeballs!”

“I’ll also see what I can find anything more out about the Gibson witches. I remember that they were amongst the most powerful at one time, their powers coming from the moon. It has been many generations since there has been a moon witch.”

“Not really sure that I’m one now,” Waverly shrugged. The way it was said with such gravitas, ‘moon witch’, made it feel too important somehow and made Waverly feel unworthy of the moniker.

She was Waverly Earp. Voted the nicest person in Purgatory; with the sash to prove it.

She was a wolf.

She was head over heels in love with the beautiful woman at her side… her mate.

She was a mother of four beautiful girls. Sister to Wynonna and Willa. Daughter of Michelle.

Those were the things she knew, the things she was certain of.

Moon Witch? That had been only a whisper, a hint of something hidden that now sounded too big and important. Too scary.

Nicole’s hand settled over hers. Her slender, elegant fingers soothing and grounding her before her mind could coil itself into a knot or take flight.

“There is great power in you, Waverly,” Maeve stated firmly. “We are who you are no matter who our relatives are. But there is more to you than wolf and witch. I felt it. There was something else there that made it, thankfully, impossible to take you over.”

**********

The sun was starting to fall towards the horizon by the time they made their way back to Nicole’s vehicle. Even though they had talked through a lot, and she was pretty sure she had managed to ask what she hoped were pertinent questions, Waverly was hard pressed to remember anything that had been said after Maeve’s revelation.

She paused before climbing into the car, her eyes easily finding the moon in the sky as though drawn to it. But drawn by what? Her wolf? Her powers as a moon witch? … Or was it the mysterious, unnamed side of her?

“You are thinking too hard, Waverly.”

Waverly startled slightly as Nicole whispered in her ear. She hadn’t seen or heard her move around to stand behind her, her strong body bracketing hers, offering her shelter and comfort within its strength. Eyes fluttering shut, Waverly melted back into her and let her head drop to the side slightly in an invitation that was quickly, lovingly accepted with a kiss and the gentle, grounding weight of teeth against Nicole’s mark in her flesh that pulled a noise from her that was some embarrassing combination of a moan and a grunt that sounded too loud and lusty to her own ears and made Waverly _very_ glad that Nicole had parked up at least a little bit back from Gretta’s house.

“That’s my good girl. _My_ Omega,” Nicole purred against the warmth of Waverly’s flesh with a smile as her pulse gave a strong beat against her lips at her words and tone. She knew Waverly well. Waverly could be a master planner when it came to sorting out other people but not so much when it came to herself. She knew she needed grounding in what she knew, in things that were familiar before she could tackle the rest.

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to just visit someone and have it just be a perfectly normal thing?” Waverly mused quietly as she waved a cheery farewell to Gretta who was watching from the doorway and Maeve’s flame burning brightly at a lamp in the window.

“In Purgatory?” Rubbing her chin, Nicole pretended to give the question serious thought before flashing a smile at Waverly that had her hazel eyes flashing in the light of the moon in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> AN - Kind of disappointed that I didn't manage to squeeze in the Victoria's Secrets bit but it just didn't want to be written in so I will just have to keep thinking about it instead :p 


	31. Chapter 31

Wynonna grumbled softly under her breath and released a huff of frustration that sounded out loudly to fill the quiet of the PSD bullpen along with the sharp click that was almost a bang as she pulled the door to Nicole’s office close behind her. Brow furrowing, she looked around the bullpen until JD’s finally dared to lift his eyes above the top of his computer screen and look her way.

“Wynonna, I just told you the Sheriff wasn’t in her office,” he sighed as Wynonna stalked across the room with a deliberately slinky, predatory stride that, if he didn’t know it was just how she moved, he could have mistaken it for seductive. Just as he could have mistaken the way she tossed her head and sent her long mane of wild curls tumbling over her shoulders as she slid onto the edge of her desk, dislodging a neatly stacked pile of paperwork as she settled upon it as the same… if the move hadn’t resulted in her having to splutter and blow strands of hair out of the way as they caught in her mouth.

“I thought you might be lying and she was hiding under her desk,” Wynonna smirked and helped herself to a gummy candy from the bag he had stashed between keyboard and monitor. “Hmm, my favourite,” popping it into her mouth, she chewed on it thoughtfully. “Any black ones in there?”

Huffing out a long-suffering sigh, JD held out the bag so Wynonna could help herself to her favourites before she batted her eyes at him again or broke out the puppy whine. He wasn’t sure if it was just her or if all werewolves were the same but Wynonna had a seriously good treat radar… To the point that some of the others, without Sheriff Haught’s knowledge, had started testing her skills by hiding them from her. It was frankly ridiculous but at the same time, he had to admit that it was somehow adorable to see her appear from nowhere at the quietest rustle of a wrapper like a bloodhound locked in on a scent.

Which was kind of why he was surprised that she hadn’t been able to find the Sheriff already.

“Assuming you didn’t just come over here to steal all my candy—” he narrowed his eyes as she continued to rustle around in the bag determinedly.

“Nope, actually looking for Redhaught.” Doing her best to channel Waverly, Wynonna tried for a look of angelic innocence as she popped one of the precious black gummies into her mouth with a satisfied purr as the flavour and sugar exploded in her mouth. “Soooo good.”

“She’s in the breakroom fixing her lunch.”

“Lunch! Cool! Cool! Cool! Catch ya later, JD!”

JD sighed in soft frustration as the impossible woman hopped down off his desk and somehow managing to scatter more paperwork on her way. Rescuing some that fell to the floor, he sat back as he shuffled them into place and reached for his bag of gummies… only to find Wynonna had somehow managed to empty it even down to the powder that usually lingered in the corners.

“Earp! You owe me gummies! She- she took my last ones—” he muttered quietly in embarrassment, his voice fading off when he realised that Mayor Nedley was watching him as he passed by the door in that quiet, assessing way he had. The one that made him feel like a naughty child, and not a grown officer of the law that had just had his gummy supply pilfered.

**********

Wynonna drew in a hopeful breath as she neared the station breakroom. But instead of getting a hint of any delights she was about to snatch from Nicole there was a lack of any edible scents apart from the out of date yoghurt someone had left in the back of the fridge that she was pretty sure Jeremy was conducting some kind of an experiment for sentient life on.

She could hear Nicole moving around though so she was hopeful that she just hadn’t gotten around to unpacking one of her _lying_ , but damned tasty, vegan dishes that either she or Waverly had created using some kind of crazy lesbian or, in Waverly’s case bisexual, magic.

“Hey! Haughtsauce!” Wynonna smirked as she slid noisily in through the doorway… but instead of jumping or even acknowledging her in any way, Nicole just stood there with a grim expression on her face and a heavy furrow between her lowered brows as she gazed down at a plate of… something. “What in the blue hell is that monstrosity!?” Wynonna whisper shouted in horror as she edged closer. “Should I run and get peacemaker… or would the flamethrower be better to put it out of its misery?”

“No flamethrowers in the station,” Nicole muttered more as an instinctive response to the Earp girl’s desire to fry everything with flames than anything. “Do I _really_ need to get a sign made with that on? ‘Cause I will.”

“Yep… along with a ‘no glitter’ one that I can staple to Chetri’s head. But seriously, Haught, what in the hell is that?” She pointed an accusing finger at the _thing_ she could only assume was supposed to be food because it was on a plate.

“Pizza.”

“No… No! That, my dear Haughtsauce… that is not pizza. Even in the darkest, fiery corner of hell where the worst of the worst go to be punished the pizza is better than… _that!_ ”

“It’s not that bad,” Nicole lied through her teeth as she stared at the thin disk of the blandest, most unappetising pizza she had ever seen.

“Where was that monstrosity made anyway?”

“Luigi’s on— OW!” Nicole rubbed at the back of her head and cast a baleful glare in Wynonna’s direction. “What the—”

“Are you out of your mind!?”

“He said he’d changed the recipe of the vegan pizzas!”

“So, not only did you get a pizza from the worst place in Canada, no, the world! But you got a vegan one!?”

“Worse… it’s gluten-free,” Nicole whined, her lips twisting into a pout.

“Dumbass!”

“Hey, at least I’ll be able to play Frisbee with Bernie and the girls when I get home.” Picking up the miserable, unappetising, and hard as a brick disk, Nicole tapped it on the edge of the plate with a sharp CHINK, CHINK sound that was alarmingly loud given it was supposed to be edible.

Eyes growing wide, she looked at Wynonna and saw her alarm mirrored in her bright blue eyes.

“No throwing that around my nieces! They need those puppy teeth to chew on the monster that made this… and your dumbass for buying it.” She cuffed Nicole sharply around the head once more for good measure.

Snatching up the offending item, Wynonna flung the pizza across the room towards the trashcan. It sailed in, barely touching the wall behind it or the sides but apparently, Nicole wasn’t impressed by the greasy smear on the wall left by the faux cheese as she left her attempted high-five hanging.

Nicole propped her hip up against the sturdy counter that took up a large portion of the space in the small breakroom. Tilting her head she studied Wynonna. The Alpha was her typical annoying/playful self and she would allow her that as she knew better than to go against the flow until Wynonna was willing to reveal what had brought her to look for her in the first place.

In the end though, her patience ran out and she decided to try and jog Wynonna along.

“So, did you crawl out from under your desk in BBD _just_ to toss my… whatever that was in the bin or did you want something?”

“We just don’t get to hang out together much any more,” Wynonna whined pitifully.

“Earp, we all went out for dinner together last night. You stole my dessert before I could finish it, remember?” If Wynonna didn’t, Nicole certainly had as she had been enjoying it.

“You were too busy wasting it by sharing with Waverly,” Wynonna mock gagged. “But anyway, that’s not the same! We don’t get to just chill and knock back a few drinks,” she wheedled, knocking her hip into Nicole’s playfully as the other Alpha rolled her eyes.

“Hmm,” Nicole narrowed her eyes at Wynonna. “You think maybe that’s because you’re a terrible influence and Waverly threatened to skin us alive if we did? Anyway, we never just ‘hung out’ until you found out you could get me drunk.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re a cute drunk,” she smirked.

“Aww, you think I’m cute? And yep, it’s all fun and games until the handcuffs come out and the murderous bikers and stabby gnomes want to play too.”

“Yeah, that was a good time,” Wynonna chuckled as Nicole’s brows arched upwards and threatened to vanish beneath her hairline.

“Well, Trickett is lurking around somewhere I’m sure so maybe you can have some fun when you find him,” she smirked as Wynonna swallowed hard. “But I know better than to go against my mate. Now, if you don’t mind, seeing as I’m apparently not getting a lunch break today, I’d better get back to my paperwork. Never thought it would be so difficult to convince those idiots upstairs that cutting corners on repairs to the holding cells was a bad idea but…” throwing up her hands in an exaggerated shrug, she made her way towards the door, slowly counting down from five in her head.

_… three… two…_

“Wait!”

**********

Michelle made her way deeper into the greenhouse. It had been a lifetime since she had stepped foot inside it, or even on the old Gibson land. She had only started to remember it at all after Waverly had come to her and asked questions about it. Even then, it had been a vague recollection of a warm and dusty building. Only later, in the depths of the night had more come to her from when she had been there with her girls, and also from when she was a child herself, running at her mother’s side, her head not even reaching her mama’s waist.

She’d known she had to follow the memories for her own sake as well as her daughters and that had led her right there, standing in the beam of sunlight forcing its way through windows encrusted with grime and choked with dead plants as everything started pouring back into the fractures of her mind, filling in gaps she hadn’t even been aware of.

The memories tumbled over themselves, forcing Michelle to close her eyes and pick them apart before they overwhelmed her. Determinedly she focused on an early memory of her ma’s eyes twinkling down on her and the warmth of her rough, work-calloused hand holding hers as they had entered the greenhouse.

It had looked different then. She remembered it, the greenhouse looking worn and tired, plants showing signs of dying off, but the air had been warm and moist, and heavy with the perfume of hothouse plants with waxy petalled flowers as big as her head. It had been a magical place even if the land surrounding the greenhouse had been barely holding on to scraps of life even then. Her ma had sat her down on her lap right there amongst the plants and told her tales of the land at the height of its fertility and their family’s powers. It had painted a vivid picture in her mind of a lush landscape, and her kin with moonlight in their eyes and flowing from the tips of their fingers.

There had been more to the story her ma had woven. Things that as she had grown, Michelle had relegated to the realms of make-believe along with the tooth fairy and Santa.

There was no way that there were cursed gnomes living on the land… until she found out there were.

**********

Bunny slowed her vehicle down to almost a crawl as the dusky-blue facia of the house came into view through the trees. Her lips twisted into a sneer that she strove to contain when she saw in the mirror how it narrowed her lips to the point they almost vanished until all that showed of them was a thin red line of lipstick like a ragged wound slashed across her face. And worse it showed all the deep wrinkles in her face she spent a fortune on Botox injections and weak magic to try and erase.

She turned her car off the main road, keeping her approach confident but cautious. She knew full well that the joke that was supposed to be their Sheriff was on duty all day as she’d checked to make sure of that before she had got into her car. And she also knew that the Earp girl she was in a disgustingly unnatural relationship with was out as she had passed her Jeep parked up in Purgatory. But… the cursed pack that called Purgatory home was large and sprawling and all up in each other’s business like the dogs they were, and the Bulshar heir had managed to make many powerful allies since she had come to her town. Which all meant that she just didn’t know how many were inside.

Personally, she was hoping it might be Michelle Gibson or even her sister, the weight of the gun loaded with the finest silver bullets pulling on the line of her jacket along with the silver edged knife blessed by Constance Clootie herself said she was more than ready for whoever was babysitting the pups.

One way or another she was going to erase the Gibson’s and every last mangy wolf from _her_ land if it was the last thing she did!

**********

A feud between covens. That was how all the death upon the land had started. At least, that was the story her ma had told her. Moon versus Stone. Two powerful covens that were both waning in power.

**_“But why, mama?”_ **

Michelle could hear herself asking the question as she had gazed up into her soft hazel eyes.

**_“The Stone witches grew weak because they sought power and aligned themselves with evil. Remember, Michelle, evil corrupts and the craft punishes those that use it.”_ **

Michelle could remember nodding solemnly to her ma’s serious words and tone even though she hadn’t quite understood what she was saying.

**_“And the Moon?”_ **

**_“We lost it for the best of reasons… love. A long, long,_ long _time ago before even your grandma was a twinkle in the moons eye…”_**

**_“That long?”_ **

**_“Yes, that long.”_ **

Michelle’s eyes grew misty as she remembered her ma’s fingers tickling into her sides at her scandalised tone until she’d grown weak from giggling before continuing her tale.

**_“Wayyyyy back then, all those moons ago, one of our ancestors met a handsome young wolf. They were not meant to be together, their parents would never have approved. But the wolf fell in love with the moon and wooed her with the sweetest of songs.”_ **

Her ma had chuckled so sweetly and thrown back her own head to mimic the howl she had released towards the roof of the greenhouse, her richer tones smoothing over what Michelle was sure had been a pretty horrendous attempt on her part.

**_“Because of those two, we became Wolves… and how we came about I’ll explain when you’re older, young lady… much older.”_ **

**_“Ma, did they live happily ever after?”_ **

**_“They did, sweetie. They had many adventures along the way but, they did.”_ **

**_“Adventures?”_ **

**_“Mhm. More than what I can tell you in one day. How would you like to hear the one about how Monique and Trickett over there came to be in our greenhouse?”_ **

**_“Who?”_ **

**_“Right there, sweetie.”_ **

Michelle turned in the same direction her younger self had, her eyes raking over the now empty space where the ‘garden ornaments’ had stood and kept watch over the plants fading around them.

With her memories unlocking, she remembered the story her ma had woven around her that day as clearly as the day it had been told even though they had faded from her mind as she had grown.

The gnomes, Trickett and his wife, Monique, had been upon the Gibson land long before it had become Gibson land. But, when their lives had come into contact, the gnomes had already seen and appreciated the way the Moon Witches cared for the land and had wanted to help them make it flourish more.

All had been well amongst them. The land had bloomed under the care of Gibson’s both Witch and Wolf under the guidance of the gnomes. And the night air had been filled with their joyous song and dance on human feet and paws alike as they had praised the beauty of the moon above.

And then the Stone Witches came.

They had wanted the fertile Gibson land and the power that ran through it for themselves and when they had been denied they had essentially salted the land by cursing Trickett and Monique; confining them to lives of stone. The Moon Witches had vowed to break the curse and free them but the curse was strong and their powers were waning.

Michelle had forgotten every word of the story… until years later when she had visited the greenhouse to escape Ward’s mean temper and lick the wounds caused by his fists and found Trickett once more… and one other that was most definitely not Monique.

“Julian! Where are you, you sanctimonious winged bastard!?”

**********

There were no vehicles in sight in front of the house. Not that meant much with creatures that could run for miles without tiring and a surprisingly reliable Lyft service running in Purgatory. Even so, Bunny brazenly drove onto the property and turned off the engine when no one came out to challenge her arrival and no curtains twitched.

She was ready though.

Her eyes faltered and darted across the land, drawn against her will to where she didn’t want to look. The place where Constance Clootie had met her end in her attack against the wolves.

Bunny had no real ties with the witch other than distant blood and had found the persona she’d put out to the world to be aggravating but… she had, for the sake of their dwindling bloodline, warned her to stay away from the municipal building before she had attacked and Bunny was thankful enough to admit, albeit reluctantly, that Constance was the most powerful witch she had ever met.

If she hadn’t been so focussed on her own goals with Purgatory, she might have been tempted to ask Constance to take her in and train her… And eventually tried to overthrow her and take her place at Bulshar’s side. Even though he was a Wolf, there was no denying his power and she’d coveted it.

Constance had grown sloppy though, overconfident in her powers which had waned due to being buried in salt she had attacked them head on and had lost hers in more ways than one.

What had happened had been carefully covered up but Bunny had felt the loss of her bloodline all the way across town and followed the tug of it the next day right to the property. There had, of course, been no body to see but she didn’t need to see one as she could fell Constance’s power lingering for days where she had met her end before it had faded away.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Bunny climbed out of the car. She straightened her jacket, adjusting for the weight of the gun that annoyingly pulled on the line of it as she shuffled a small but official-looking stack of paperwork she was ready to use as a cover to help her get closer if need be.

Oh yes, she was ready all right! She had relied on others for too long in this battle; the Banditos; her sorry assed nephew. They had all let her down but with the end drawing nearer, she was finally ready to exact a little revenge of her own!

**********

“Shit!” For all her usual speed afforded to her by her wolf, Wynonna felt like she was doggy-paddling uphill in quicksand as she tried to catch up with Nicole’s much longer strides as she stormed towards the BBD offices. “Should not have had that last gummy!” she grouched as she huffed and puffed in Nicole’s wake and skidded in through the door before Nicole could slam it in her face.

“What the fuck, Jeremy!?”

“Cool your jets, Haughthead!” Finally catching up, Wynonna placed herself between them and only just managed to stop herself from being flattened by planted her hands on Nicole’s heaving chest. “Sorry, Waves,” she muttered under her breath for her hand placement as she attempted to hold Nicole back as Jeremy scrambled under his desk with a startled squeal she was sure was high enough to have every dog in the Ghost River Triangle lifting their heads. For once she was actually glad that Nicole was without her ability to shift as she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold her back otherwise with how she was straining against her hold. “Back down, Nicole!” she ordered with a growl that was ten percent voice and eighty percent power.

The anger stayed within Nicole’s gaze and every line of her body but she stilled beneath her touch. But she didn’t back down even an inch. “All the way, Nicole,” Wynonna ordered softly. “Let Jeremy talk and show you what he’s got… then you can rip his head off.”

“Hey,” Jeremy popped his head out of cover to whine out in protest before ducking back as Nicole’s narrowed gaze honed in on him with laser-like intensity. “Sorry!”

“Get your ass out of there, Jeremy! Haught isn’t going to hurt you.” She shot Nicole a reproachful look and tapped a finger against her chest in warning as she let out a noise that managed to combine a grown and a scoffing sound all in one. “Let him talk,” she ordered softly. “Trust me, you’ll be thankful.”

“That he tapped Loblaw’s phones and hacked her computers? It’s breaking the law, Earp! I know Black Badge is some fancy assed government agency that doesn’t have to follow any rules because it doesn’t exist—”

“Exactly!” Wynonna interrupted her forcibly, curling her fingers into the fabric of Nicole’s shirt for emphasis. “We get to do the things that need to be done while your hands are tied. And just to be clear, Haught, where my family is concerned I wouldn’t have to be in Black Badge to do this. There are no lines I wouldn’t cross to keep the ones I love safe… how about you?”

That finally had Nicole’s body shrinking back into itself as the fight left her in a rush, her muscles going lax as she took a shuffling step back.

“I’m the law, Earp. I have to be better… to prove I’m more than my blood but, no, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. But,” she held up a hand beseechingly as Wynonna bristled slightly at the word. “Are we really at that point already?”

“Probably no,” Wynonna admitted with a wry shrug. “Fortunately, Jeremy here is a genius level idiot. He tapped into everything by mistake.”

“Mistake? How do you— No, I don’t want to know.”

“Smart pup! Jer, seriously! Get your ass from under that desk, dude! Time to show and tell!”

Jeremy slowly, cautiously slid out from under his desk and retook his seat. Even though he was pretty sure Nicole wouldn’t have hurt him even at the height of her anger, he was reluctant to take his eyes off her even though she seemed to be her usual calm self again. He couldn’t help it! Lord knows he’d tried but Nicole just had the ability to make him nervous without even trying.

“I’m sorry I scared you, Jeremy,” Nicole speaks softly, afraid to startle him again with a raised voice as she stepped towards him only slightly while he pulled his laptop and tablet closer and somehow managed to tap away at both at the same time.

“It’s okay, Nicole.” Jeremy paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard and tablet screen as he abandoned both tasks in favour of looking into her earnest brown eyes. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.” And he did, he really did. For all her power and presence, she was the second nicest person in the whole of Purgatory… Waverly taking the crown as well as the sash on that title. “I just have this overdeveloped startle response when it comes to you when you’re being all… you know.”

Wynonna hid a snigger behind her mouth as Nicole obviously struggled to hold back any signs of offence as Jeremy panted with his tongue out like an overexcited puppy and mimed howling at the moon.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t hurt you. Even so, I shouldn’t have barged in like that though.”

“If you two have done kissing and making up—”

“Eww, no kissing! Gross! I mean— No offence, Nicole, I’m sure you’re a good kisser—”

“Waverly seems to like how I kiss,” Nicole smirked as Jeremy floundered at the thought.

“And you are gorgeous… for a girl. But you _are_ a girl and well, I’m a little gay.”

“You are quite smol,” Wynonna ruffled his curly locks playfully. “But you’re the kind of smol who I walked in on playing hella gay tonsil hockey with Robin once too often for my peace of mind. ‘Kiss and make up’ was just an expression, dude, not something I was ordering you to do, or ever want to see. But, seriously, rooms. Get one with a lock so I don’t have to see you and Robin doing all that again!”

Jeremy was fairly sure he could make a case for himself by pointing out the not so small fact that the last time, Wynonna had only found them because she had broken in the perfectly locked bathroom door at Shorty’s in an attempt to find a quick make-out spot for herself, Doc and Xavier. He knew better than to argue though, she just knew too many ways to make him blush hard enough to burn a hole through the floor and right down to the earth’s core.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Wynonna rapping the desk with her knuckles. “Right!” his fingers started flying once more, bringing up everything he needed before Nicole or Wynonna grew impatient and threatened him with something else. “As Wynonna already said, this was all an accident so I haven’t been able to go through everything yet but… from the emails that I accidentally mined—”

“You don’t have to keep reminding me it was an accident, Jeremy.”

“Thanks. But anyway, according to them, Bunny has been in contact with another group from the Banditos. She encrypted the files and used passwords and even codewords too but I cracked it open and she is pretty much asking them to complete the work the others were going to do for her and also asked them to take care of a problem in the south. And… as well as them she’s contacted a rival gang with the same offer and told them they’ll be able to get revenge on each other once they’re done.”

“Fuck!” Nicole breathed out in disbelief. “She’s trying to start a gang war right in the middle of Purgatory.”

“It’s kind of genius in a sick way,” Wynonna growled. “They get rid of us and then each other—”

“Leaving Purgatory for her to control?”

“I found this saved just before you came in. Thought we could listen together,” He handed them both an earbud that was synced into the laptop. When they were ready, he pressed play on the audio file while he lifted his headphones from where they were dangling around his neck and settled them into place.

**_“Why the hell are you calling me?”_ **

**_“I’m in trouble, Aunt Bunny.”_ **

**_“I told you never to call me that, boy! Fine, I’ll ask. What’s wrong, Champ?”_ **

“No fucking way! Champ? Champ Hardy!? The Champ that was dating Waverly?”

“Unfortunately,” Nicole growled.

“That little shit-stain, rodeo clown is Bunny Loblaw’s Nephew?!”

“I guess,” Jeremy shrugged. “Unless you know someone else called Champ? I could do a search on the name. Is Champ even his real name?”

“His parents were obviously hoping it would motivate him.”

**_“I was set up!”_ **

**_“You’re in jail?”_ **

**_“Mexico.”_ **

**_“What for?”_ **

**_“Gun and drug trafficking. They think I’m some kind of mastermind behind a local gang but I was set up, I swear!”_ **

**_“That I believe, you’re not smart enough to run anything like that.”_ **

**_“Aunt—”_ **

**_“I set you up to be the hero with that Earp bitch, Waverly after you messed up by kissing another girl! Have you any idea how much it costs to buy a tranquillizer strong enough to knock out a werewolf and someone crazy enough to do the job? I had everything set up and you couldn’t even get that right.”_ **

**_“She wasn’t where you said—”_ **

**_“You were supposed to be following her! But instead, you were with another girl! Not even the one the Earp girl caught you with… ANOTHER GIRL! You are every bit as much as a dog as your father. I don’t know what my sister saw in that piece of trash and I curse her every day for palming you off on me!”_ **

**_“I still don’t understand why you would want to do anything like that to Waverly. She was good and kind… too good and kind for me. I know that now. Why do something like that when you don’t even like me?”_ **

**_“Like you? Champ, I loathe you! But… I needed you so I could get my hands on the land the Gibson’s still own. And the easiest way to do that was through you and the pack. But, you are just as useless as your father and every other wolf and all you did, was sabotage yourself every step of the way. Everything would have been okay if you would have just kept it in your pants!”_ **

**_“I’m going to get in touch with Waves! Tell her what an evil bitch you are!”_ **

**_“That’s Witch dear. You always were stupid, even more so than I thought if you think you are going to be able to warn anyone and ruin my plans.”_ **

Nicole pulled the earbud loose and met Wynonna’s eyes as they absorbed everything they had heard. Fury and concern raced through her, the desire to get to Waverly’s side warring with her need to do things ‘right’, and finding Bunny Loblaw and ripping her limb from limb. “Jeremy, when was that call from?”

Jeremy quickly checked the timestamp on the file even though he already knew the answer as he had looked when he had found the file. “Two days ago.”

“And the emails?”

“Sent not long after it,” he whispered at the implication. He knew that many tended to underestimate his skills in everything because his nerves sometimes, okay, usually, got the better of him and made him look like a joke. But even if he wasn’t a high-level genius, he would have to be stupid or dead not to be able to put two and two together to know that…

“She’s put a hit out on Champ.”

“Jer—”

“On it!” His fingers flew into action again. His smarts and skills taking him on a pretty illegal hunt through servers and computer systems, hacking and covering his tracks as he went until he slumped back in his seat in horror and frustration. “It’s too late. He was found dead in his cell last night,” he whispered bitterly.

What they had found was beyond damning but with Champ dead, they were running out of ways to bring it to a conclusion that saw Bunny Loblaw going to court. With Champ, they could have maybe persuaded him to speak out against her, but now all they had was evidence found by illegal means and any halfway competent, blind cat belonging to a lawyer would be able to get every scrap of it dismissed as evidence.

“Nicole?”

“Have Xavier call Lucado and see if we can get this done though Black Badge,” Nicole growled darkly. “If not... we take care of this ourselves.”

“God, I love it when you get all scary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, yeah...
> 
> Mama is after answers and probably wants to do treat Jullian like a holiday turkey.  
> Bunny is after the girls and anyone in her way.  
> Nicole and Wynonna are out for Bun Bun's blood.


	32. Chapter 32

Wrapping her hand around the small but lethal gun in her pocket, Bunny drew strength and reassurance from the weight of it despite the sweat on her palm making it slip slightly. She kept her stride strong and authoritative, her mother’s frequent barked out instructions to ‘Keep your shoulders back! Chin up! Do not slouch child!’ still rang in her ears years after she had become food for the worms, even as her heart raced and lurched with every step along the long drive to the Sheriff’s house.

There was an unnerving quiet that hung over the place; a welcoming warmth that tugged sweetly at parts of herself she’d long since buried. It was like being dragged out of the dark and plunged into every cheesy rom-com, every sappy Christmas, and every Disney movie and it made her feel nauseous.

Hidden by the folder of papers, she traced intricate patterns with her fingertips, her lips moving to silently form the spell she worked over and over with her hand and mind as she released her grip on the gun and knocked on the door.

She was so keyed up, her body thrumming with the spell she’d been working to cast. It had been many years since she had attempted a spell so powerful that she had forgotten just how difficult and consuming it was. So difficult that it was almost a disappointment when she didn’t get to release it upon whoever was unfortunate enough to answer the door as her knock remained unanswered.

She had so hoped to get revenge on one of the Gibson’s that day too.

A noise from around the side of the house had Bunny’s head turning sharply, a rictus grin twisting her face as she abandoned all pretence and dropped the folder to the ground in front of the door and reached for her knife.

She did not recognise the shaggy-haired teen that was busy working around the stable as being either from Purgatory or anyone that was from the Yiska village. Not that she cared either way as she basked in the power flowing back and forth between herself and the blade until the edge of it glowed with a pale blue light as she dragged the razor sharp, flint edge across her palm and coated it with blood. The powerful, ancient weapon soaked up her offering like a sponge and demanded more.

The boy turned to face her.

The confusion on his face turning to awe as he gazed upon the magnificence of her power.

Bunny’s voice rose, the air vibrating into a deafening roar with the words of power that flowed from her as the boy fell to his knees in supplication. With arms outstretched he gave himself up as a sacrifice as her power crumbled his bones and flesh to dust until his ashes were blown away by a careless wind.

Bunny staggered, barely managing to hold herself aloft as the glow of power settled back into the blade and the air settled around her. Wafting a careless hand before her face, she blew back stray particles of ash and brushed more from her shoulder with a tut as they smudged the beige fabric.

She pulled her hand close to her side, hiding the knife amongst the folds of fabric as she looked back at the house. Her lips twisted into a smile as seconds stretched into a minute and no one came to challenge her about the boy’s willing sacrifice. Her head twitched violently to the side, her eyes screwing tightly closed as the image in her mind of the boy giving himself too her power was superimposed by one of him screaming in terror; his face twisted in agony.

Both images gave her comfort.

The gangs she had hired to help were due to arrive any day, and when they did, they would find the way smoothed as the Sheriff and the pack would be weakened by grief and ripe for the picking. By the end of the month, maybe even sooner than that, the pack would be gone, the land would be hers, and the town would be heralding her a hero as she showed them her power and put an end to any gang members left standing.

How foolish of them to leave their brats in the care of a child.

With her eye and mind set, Bunny confidently strode towards the annoyingly pretty blue house. The horses in the paddock raced back and forth along the fence line, throwing their massive bodies and hooves against the wood with such ferocity that it creaked and groaned under the weight of their attack, but Bunny barely even flinched.

Humming in pleasure along with a melodious buzz of power that swirled through her mind, Bunny tightened her grip on the blade as she reached for the door. It was time to prune back the Gibson family tree!

**********

“Julian!!!” Michelle shouted his name towards the vaulted glass roof of the greenhouse high above her. Frustration bloomed through her as her voice seemed to mock her as it echoed and vibrated back at her but remained unanswered.

Snatching up an old terracotta pot that had somehow managed to survive the years intact, she hurled it towards the nearest pane of glass with all her might and an impotent scream of anger. The glass shattered and splintered as the pot sailed through it but not even the smallest slither of glass reached the floor beneath.

Michelle took a hesitant step back in surprise as the shower of glass seemed to hover in mid-air for a long moment before it reversed direction. The pot sailed back through the window to land gently, almost reproachfully, at her feet as the greenhouse window healed itself of the damage she had done.

A glow lit up the greenhouse behind her, the familiar warmth of it as the outline of wings was reflected in the grimy glass sent long forgotten tendrils of excitement racing through Michelle’s body. But when she spun on her heel and turned, it wasn’t to find Julian. The smile slipped off her face, a deep crease furrowing her brow as she strode angrily towards the figure, grabbed them firmly by the collar and yanked them out of the angelic light they were still bathed in.

“You, are not the feathered asshole I was expecting. Where the hell is Julian!?” she snarled as she looked the finely suited angel locked in her grip up and down. A further assessment of the state of the angel’s clothing had her amending her first thought. It _had_ been a fine suit. Now it was worn around the edges with dirt caked into the seams and threads pulled in the creased fabric. And the angel wearing it was looking to be in a pretty similar state with her dark hair hanging limply about her shoulders. “Kevin, right?” she guessed.

“Yes. Why do you wolves always have to so grabby and violent all the time?”

“Oh, sweet cheeks, this is nothing compared to what you will get if you don’t loosen the tongue in your head. Now, Julian?”

“Won’t be coming,” Kevin grumbled as the wolf gave them a little shake that creased their much-beleaguered collar even further. As an angel that took maybe a little more pride in their appearance than most, their time in Purgatory was proving to be hell on their clothing in a way that no amount of angelic powers could fix. “He is still being punished,” they added regretfully; sadness plain in their voice even to their own ears as they thought about the torture Julian was going through.

“Your bosses not happy with him taking Nicole’s wolf? What, wasn’t that enough for them?”

“Taking—?” Kevin blinked at the woman in confusion. “What? I don’t understand,” they admitted reluctantly.

“You’re telling me that you didn’t know that Julian was going to strip Nicole of her wolf? Don’t get me wrong, grateful that the bastard helped to bring his daughter’s mate back to life. It was the least he could do after flying out of our lives. But it was a shitty thing to do.”

“The punishment that Julian is enduring is not only for going against their wishes,” Kevin hurried to explain before Michelle’s grip could get any more physical. “He is enduring it because it is payment for saving Nicole’s life,” she squeaked out. “That was the price to pay he warned your daughter of!”

Loosening her grip, Michelle stepped back from the ragged looking angel. “Julian is being tortured for helping? Ya know, that is still a shitty thing.”

“That we can both agree on,” Kevin nodded. Looking around, they quickly blanketed the area to protect them from anyone, angelic or otherwise, that might try to listen in to their conversation. “I will no doubt join him in being punished again just for being here but… I heard you and I had to come. I did not expect you to drop that on me though. But in a way it makes sense…”

“Okay,” grabbing Kevin by the arm, Michelle stilled them before they could start pacing. “Why did you come?”

“Because of your daughter. Because of Waverly.”

**********

Bunny paused as she stepped into the house, her ears straining in an effort to make out any noises within. Once she was sure that no one was going to rush her, she moved further in and closed the door behind her.

It was _homely_ inside. Simply but tastefully decorated but cluttered with children’s toys and a bewildering array of throw cushions that spilt off the couch and on to the floor. There were photographs everywhere as though the wolves just couldn’t help but surround themselves with scraps of their lives.

Bunny picked up one of the photographs from the top of the bookcase. Her lips thinned and twisted as she looked at the smiling couple gazing back at her in a sickening parody of what a real couple should look like. Her nails scratched against the glass over their faces as her fingers tightened around the simple but stylish frame.

“Disgusting!”

She slapped the photograph face down where it had stood, a smirk working its way across her face as she heard the glass splinter and crack. She reached for the next photograph, ready to pull it from the wall and crush it beneath her heel… but a noise coming from the floor above caught her ear and diverted her attention back towards her goal.

Adjusting her grip on her knife, Bunny strode across the room to make her way up the stairs to deal with the defenceless hell-bound pups.

**********

“What you and Julian _did_ is forbidden.”

“Not too many half-angel babies roaming the earth then?” Michelle snorted.

“Many? There are none! Oh, not because things like _that_ ,” they waved their arms around wildly, “don’t happen sometimes. But when they do and a baby is the result of their actions, the baby is taken.” Kevin took a hasty step back instinctively as Michelle’s expression grew thunderous. “Julian knew that and protected you both.”

“By leaving us?”

“Yes. He told me he regretted it every day but it was the only way to protect you both. He said that he tried to return several times but you were gone. We know now that you were being obscured from view by Juan Carlo, and Waverly was hidden by the protection he, himself had given. Without you, he couldn’t find her, and when there were no reports of any kind of new celestial power in the area, he believed that Waverly had been blessed and had not inherited them.”

“He is still a rat-bastard for not turning up when he said he would,” Michelle sniffled. “I waited right here for him, bleeding out after giving birth to our daughter in this goddamned greenhouse! I was alone and scared!”

Propelled by the harsh jab of Michelle’s finger, Kevin stepped backwards. “He didn’t know,” they uttered softly, “I believe that if he had, he would have risked it all to be here. And I know you don’t know me, but believe me when I say that it would have risked everything. Your daughter would have been taken and lost to you.”

“I lost most of her life anyway—”

“But not because of that,” Kevin tried to placate her. “I know it is probably small comfort after so long but you have your family now.”

“And yet there is a look on your face that gives me no comfort at all. So, come on, drop the other shoe on this conversation.”

“Taking Nicole’s wolf… that is unprecedented,” Kevin admitted. “So was everything that happened that night.” Dragging a hand through the tangled length of their hair, Kevin started to pace restlessly as they worked their mind over everything they knew and the gaps that had been filled in by Michelle.

“Come on, spit it out,” Michelle demanded.

“After we left, Julian admitted that he was only able to act as a guide towards bringing Nicole back. “He is one of the strongest of us but his powers were being denied him. The one that truly guided Nicole home was Waverly.”

“You’re blaming my daughter for what happened to Nicole’s wolf?!” Michelle barked in incredulous fury.

“Far from it. What I think though, is that Waverly was, maybe even still is, being tested to see how much of her power is down to her being wolf, witch, or angel.”

“The Gibson’s haven’t been witches for generations.”

“Then you better hope you are wrong or they will take Waverly just as surely now that she has a mate and children of her own as they would have when she was a baby. They might even take her babies just to be safe.”

“How dare you—”

“I am not the one that is a threat to them, Michelle!” Kevin rushed to reassure her. “Juan Carlo and Julian have changed my way of thinking on many things lately but I would never, not even before then, have taken any of them.”

“But someone still could?”

“Yes.”

**********

Bunny let the tip of her knife drag quietly along the wall as she climbed the stairs. At the first door at the top, she dug the point deep into the wooden surround as she glanced inside at the bedroom. The thought of the things that happened within, just that two women would share the same bed… it was even more sickening than the number of immigrants that had been pawed at her in the hospital the last time she’d had to get a check-up. She didn’t care how many certificates they had on the wall… they were all obviously fake, or from some third-world country that was not up to the standards, she expected from her own.

Anger burned within her, the blade of her knife glowing with the strength of it to leave a scorch mark in the wood.

She took a step forward through the open door, following the desire to burn and destroy… Until a noise pulled her back and drew her steps towards the open door further down the hall.

The room before her was sickeningly pretty and bright as the sun twinkled through the window and refracted off crystals hung in the windows and mobiles hung around the room until the whole room seemed to be alive with rainbows.

For a moment, Bunny wondered if that was the only thing alive in the room… until she caught movement beneath the brightly patterned covers on both of the beds.

“Finally!” she whispered darkly.

Hand tightening, shifting the knife around in her sweaty palm, she edged closer to the nearest bed only to abruptly freeze mid-stride at the shifting covers rose up and up until they were barely covering the suddenly massive form beneath.

“What on god’s flat earth!?”

Bunny backpedalled across the room as the covers slipped off the rapidly expanding form on the bed and revealed a sleekly muscled tiger with burning amber eyes that was taller at its shoulder than she was. From the other bed, another figure rose, the covers falling away to reveal the massive, hulking form of a shaggy beast with black and white fur and dripping fangs as long as her forearm.

They roared at her; shrieking, violent sounds that clawed at her soul and chasing her from the room, and shook her bones right down to the marrow with its ferocity as she escaped outside through the door in the kitchen. She stumbled back away from the house, her eyes darting every which way as she tried to see if the beasts had followed her.

The rapid and heavy thud of hooves shaking the earth beneath her feet drew her attention and her gaze towards the paddock in time to see both horses jumping over the fence with such ease the fence might well have not even been there for all the good it did.

Screaming in anger and fear, Bunny lashed out blindly with her knife as the biggest of the horses reared up and slashed at her with its hooves. She felt the blade catch on flesh and bone and felt a momentary flash of joy that quickly waned as the horses relentlessly forced her back.

Bunny broke and ran for her car as another roar came from within the house and she caught the flash of ginger fur and glowing eyes trained upon her through the window. Reaching her car she yanked open the door and threw herself inside.

Or she tried to.

Her head clanged sickeningly off the frame of the car and sent her sprawling onto her back in the dirt as she misjudged everything in her panic. Her view of the sky turned to red as blood trickled down into her eyes but she was persuaded by another roar to get the hell out of there instead of checking her wound. Dragging herself out of the dirt she climbed behind the wheel and lay down a thick stripe of rubber on the road from her tyres in her hurry to get away.

**********

With a soft meow, Calamity Jane slinked outside, her tail twitching as Bernie barrelled past her with a growl and a sharp yap as he raced towards the front of the house and barked furiously at the car disappearing out of view.

Swishing her tail, she made her way over towards the paddock and jumped lightly up onto the rail and unlatched the gate. With patience, she accepted the rough treatment from the horses as they snorted and huffed into her fur, and watched as they made their way back inside to comfort the two younger ones whinnying for them from inside the stable.

As agilely as she had gotten there, CJ leapt down from the gate and made her way back to the house. With Bernie at her side, she climbed up onto the porch and settled down where she could watch over their home and protect it from harm. Eyes glowing with the power that came from within, Calamity pinned Bernie down and licked the top of his head until he relented his guard stance and lay down at her side.

**********

The pen JD had started taking notes with as the call from Davidson and Liu had come in, dropped from his suddenly limp hand and rolled across the desk and onto the floor. He quickly ran his eyes over what few notes he had managed to take to check that he hadn’t imagined the whole conversation… a huge part of him hoping that he had.

But no such luck.

JD’s heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest as he leapt from his seat and raced across the small distance separating the Sheriff’s Department from Black Badge. He pounded on the door out of habit rather than courtesy but barrelled inside before anyone could answer his knock. Though, with how the blood was rushing around his head he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to hear a brass band passing him right then.

Nicole looked up as the door swung open, a frown crossing her brow as JD rushed inside and flattened himself against the door as he closed it. “What’s wrong, JD?”

“Dude, you’re lucky Xavier isn’t here being all dickish-agent to chew you out and threaten you with treason for coming in like that.”

“He did knock, Wynonna.”

“Not the point— Hey!” Wynonna huffed in exasperation as JD grabbed a doughnut from her not so secret stash off her desk and wolfed it down faster than she could even think to move and grab it back.

“That was for stealin’ my gummies. Boss… we— there— I just took a call from Davidson—”

Nicole straightened up, her hands drifting to her belt to anchor herself in response to JD’s strange behaviour. “Report.”

“They were heading back towards town to finish up their patrol when they saw a car acting erratically… coming from your place.”

“What?!”

“Haught, are Waves and the kids at home today?” Wynonna barked out urgently.

“No. They’re having lunch with Chrissy and Gus. Only one at the house today was Jean.”

“The Marchand’s kid?”

“Yes. Good kid. He’s been helping out with horses. JD, is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Davidson and Liu made the call to check on everything at the house first rather than go in pursuit of the car. Jean wasn’t anywhere in sight but the paddock was open. They found blood on the ground but they think it’s from Macha as she’s got a cut on her leg. Liu is sensitive to magic and she said the whole place feels as though bad magic had been used there recently.”

“Shit! Bernie, CJ?”

“Both fine. They were outside on the porch so they checked inside the property. They said that it looks like something huge passed through the house as all the furniture had been pushed aside in a manner that says it happened from the nursery and down to the kitchen.”

“Jean had access to the house but he isn’t Wolf or Yiska to be able to change form.”

“That’s not all. They found a gun in the nursery, Sheriff. One registered to Bunny Loblaw… as was the car they saw peeling out of there.”

“How long ago was it they saw her?” Nicole bit out through clenched teeth.

“Fifteen minutes. But with how fast Bunny was going—”

“Nicole—” Wynonna grabbed for Nicole’s arm urgently, begging her act and not hold back.

“We bring her in, Earp! Right now. JD, Jeremy, bring everyone up to speed as quickly as possible, tell them to play it cool and approach with extreme caution. There _is_ a chance that she could be a victim in whatever happened today but she is guilty is so many other things so I want her in a warded holding cell or chained up in interrogation before the end of the day!”

“And if she resists?”

“One way or another… this ends today!”

**********

“There are a lot, too many, that are scared of Nicole. The things she has been able to do; even the friends she has made along the way, it all makes them nervous.”

“Nicole is the single most, softest Alpha I have ever seen in my life. The world would be a much better place if there were more like her!”

“All they see… all I saw for a long time, was the power. That was probably all the reason they needed to take the chance at doing the unthinkable and stripping her of her wolf. And now with Waverly… She is showing signs of power that she never had before. That will be enough to concern them but if her power _is_ celestial… that is a power they believe only belongs to us and they will do whatever they can to claim it back and make sure it doesn’t spread.”

“Do they honestly think that we won’t rip heaven apart if anything happens to them? Even without her ability to change, I don’t reckon much to their chances against Nicole if they were stupid enough to try. There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal, Kevin. From what I have been told about all the things Nicole has done since she got here, it has been done to protect the ones she loves. Not for personal gain or for herself… for love! If they’re stupid enough to mess with that there will be war and they will be on the wrong side of it.”

“I will do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come to that. Unfortunately, I’ve got to go.”

Michelle grabbed the angel by the collar again as they got a faraway look in their eyes that she had seen all too often. “Oh no! We’ve still got a lot to talk about!”

“And we will. Right now though I must go. I have been tasked with Juan Carlo’s duty as an angel of death and I’m being directed to head into Purgatory.”

“Someone’s dead?”

“Not yet. The outcome hasn’t been decided yet,” she frowned. Usually, the call was unwavering but this was fluctuating wildly. “All I know is where to be until the outcome has been decided.”

“Where?” Grabbing for her phone, Michelle juggled it around as she tried to get the screen on to call whoever she needed to but there was no signal. “Damn it, Kevin! Fuck!” she screamed her frustration into the void where Kevin had been standing moments before.

**********

Even before her phone buzzed again and again with a flurry of texts from Nicole and Wynonna, Waverly felt like she was about to crawl out of her own skin with the emotions she could feel through her bond with Nicole. To be so strong, she knew that they had to be ten times worse for Nicole and only Gus’ pointed look towards the girls and whispered comment to let Nicole do her job, had stopped Waverly from leaving Kiersten’s place and running over to see what was going on.

“What in the world is going on?” Gus grumbled as her own and Chrissy’s phones lit up with notifications too. Fishing her phone out of her pocket, she tried to make sense of the messages made up of a bewildering array of emoji’s that flashed across the small screen. “Swear to god your sister is insane… what in the hell am I supposed to make of a rabbit, gun and skull anyway? And isn’t the eggplant one supposed to be something rude?”

“It means we need to look out for Bunny, she’s up to something and they’re looking to arrest her and we’re to keep away from her… what? Nicole writes whole sentences,” Waverly held up her phone so her aunt could see the perfectly typed out messages from Nicole. Waverly had tried to convert her to the way of the emoji but Nicole refused to be swayed. “As for the eggplant,” Waverly blushed, “that is either Wynonna saying fuu-dge, or you got a message that was supposed to go to Doc and Xavier,” she blushed slightly.

Chrissy hid a snorted out laugh behind a faked cough and refused to meet Gus’ glower. “My dad says we should get somewhere safe. Do you think we should—” she gestured nervously behind her at the café door. Before they could move, a squeal of tyres from further down the road had her jerking around to watch as a car skidded across the road to sideswipe a cruiser parked up outside the Sheriff’s Department. It should have stopped or at least slowed down any normal driver but instead, the car lurched forward, gathering speed as it barrelled down the road towards them.

Waverly barely had time to take in what was going on down the road as another blast f emotions crashed into her from Nicole as she saw her Alpha racing behind the car at a full sprint. Everything seemed to happen too slow and far too fast at the same time; giving Waverly the chance to study the horror locked upon Nicole’s face as well as those of Gus and Chrissy at her side, and the feral look of joy and anticipation on Bunny Loblaw’s face as she grinned at them from behind the wheel of the car.

It was too late to run.

Too late to get everyone moving back into the café.

Too late to say anything let alone a goodbye.

With one last glance at the sleeping faces of her girls, Waverly placed herself defiantly between them and the speeding car.

“Waverly!!!!” Aiming on the run, Nicole tried to hit the tyres or anything that would slow the car down but it just kept speeding up.

Even though the sun was high in the sky, it was outshone by a blinding, pure light that radiated out from where everyone was standing. Blinking against the brilliance of it, Nicole saw Waverly raise her arm as the car closed in on them and realised that somehow Waverly was the source of the light as it followed the motion of her hand and slammed into the oncoming car and crumpled it like it was made of paper.

The car stopped dead, the backend lifting clear off the ground before the whole thing was swept aside and sent tumbling to land on its roof further down the road.

Nicole raced the rest of the way towards Waverly and the girls and swept them all into her arms as Waverly collapsed against her. The bright glow suffusing her body retreated back to the moonlit glow in her eyes and finally into the beloved hazel that pulled her in.

Distantly, she was aware of Wynonna and Nedley joining them as JD checked the wrecked car for signs of life, and the screech of tyres as Doc and Xavier finally peeled into town and joined them. But nothing, not even being nudged into moving back to the station, nor the news that Bunny had somehow escaped the wreckage and was missing, could persuade Nicole to let go of her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - Not sure how I'm going to do it yet but, I'm hoping to get this story wrapped up probably within 3 chapters. Feels like there's a lot of loose ends to tie up, the most glaring one being Nicole's wolf, but... fingers crossed.


	33. Chapter 33

Nicole lifted her head, reluctantly abandoning the scented curve of Waverly’s neck where she had been nuzzling her nose with a desperate intensity that was matched only by Waverly’s as they breathed each other in. Opening her eyes, she looked through the window, her eyes raking the land as Xavier drew his SUV to a smooth halt. The sight of their home awaiting her eyes was bittersweet.

It was their home.

Along with the one at the village, it was their sanctuary away from everything that life in Purgatory could throw at them. But all too often, their enemies sought to attack them there. Even when Bulshar had been a threat, Nicole had had her wolf to rely on to protect her family, and while they hadn’t even been there to have made a difference to whatever Loblaw had been doing, Nicole couldn’t help feeling guilty. Which was why they had split up with Wynonna and Doc heading to the village with the kids, while they had come there with only a halfhearted attempt to get Waverly to go with the others delaying them until she had accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to win and she really didn’t want to.

Opening the door, she winced as the usual calm that surrounding of their home came flooding in through the gap, filled with the chatter and squawk of police radios and the flash of lights from atop all the emergency vehicles gathered on the drive and spilling out onto the road and grass towards the paddock. Feeling a shift on the seat, she placed a hand upon Waverly’s wrist, gently restraining her from climbing out the other side to join her.

“It’s okay, I got this.” She was worried about what awaited them in their home. Worried that Bunny might have left something designed to target Waverly in the same way that the Blacksmith’s barrier had been designed to keep Bulshar blood off her land. Mostly though, Nicole was worried, as it was obvious that Waverly had been knocked for a loop by what had happened, by what she had done to Bunny’s car, just hours before.

“I know you do,” Waverly huffed at her overprotective Alpha but softened her stance to a reassuring smile as she saw the tender concern in Nicole’s eyes. Shifting her hand within the gentle restraint of Nicole’s, she entwined their fingers together briefly and tenderly squeezed Nicole’s fingers, “I’m still coming with you though,” she stated with a tone that brooked no argument.

Nicole’s fingers squeezed back, a loving smile lighting her face as she entangled their fingers in a more secure hold and helped her hop down from the taller vehicle in her wake to land with their bodies brushing together as Nicole sheltered her body from sight and attack with her own. Rising up on her toes, Waverly pressed a quick kiss to Nicole’s jaw. “I’m okay,” she whispered quietly, setting Nicole’s whole body trembling against hers as her breath breezed across the shell of her ear loud enough so only she could hear her.

Nicole stepped back slightly. “I would be happier if you stayed with Xavier,” she admitted. “But…”

“But?”

“We both know I do better with you at my side so, come on, let’s get things sorted out here, then we can regroup at the village with the others.”

“Guys,” rolling down the window, Xavier leaned out to get their attention. “I just got a text from Wynonna. She said to let you know that the kids are all settled down in a puppy pile with Cole and Madi taking a nap. Don’t worry, Doc’s taking an excessive amount of cute pics. Wynonna’s words, not mine.”

“And Mama?”

“Still having trouble reaching her,” he kept his growl locked behind tightly gritted teeth. “I’ll get Jeremy to ping her phone and see if he can trace her. We’ll find her, Waves,” he assured her gently as she let out a distressed murmur into the fabric of Nicole’s shirt.

Waverly wrapped herself in the strength of Nicole’s body, filling her lungs and soul with the scent of her, and the calmness of her emotions as they lapped against the jagged shore of her worry and gently eroded it, smoothing out the edges until she felt like she could breathe again.

Even with all the extra bodies there all ready to protect them if needed, Nicole kept her hand within Waverly’s as they walked with Xavier towards their home. He peeled away from them to check in with a forensics team that was checking out the house to make sure they sent samples to BBD so that Jeremy and Rosita could rush them through while they continued round to the side where they could hear the stomp of hooves and nervous, high-pitched whinnies of the horses.

“Whoa! Easy there, Macha!” Davidson tightened his grip nervously on the lead rope, as the huge horse shifted and tossed her noble head as Alexandria checked on the knife wound on her leg. “I think that’s hurting her Alexandria.”

“No,” she smiled softly, the motion quirking the corner of her mouth as she nodded her head in the direction of Nicole and Waverly just as Macha let out another excited cry that was joined by the others. “I believe that is what has got her restless.”

Rising to her feet, she clasped her hand around Nicole’s forearm in the way of her people. As usual, now that they knew each other, Nicole’s lips curved up enough to start her dimples popping at the formality of the gesture. But, instead of commenting as Wynonna would have in the most sarcastic and sassy way possible, Nicole gave a respectful nod as there were others watching and stepped back to allow her the room to open her arms for Waverly’s strong hug.

Offering her hand for Macha to sniff, Nicole stepped closer as her horse nuzzled and huffed at her palm in a futile search for a treat. Chuckling softly, she ran her other hand up and gently scratched beneath her forelock and stroked the softness of Macha’s ears while the horse leaned her head against her chest and grew silent as she enjoyed the attention.

“What have you been doing, huh?” Swallowing thickly, Nicole tried and failed not to let the sight of the blood still flowing down the length of Macha’s leg worry her too much but the pool of it soaking into the dirt as she shifted her weight off it scared her.

“It is worse than it looks,” Alexandria assured Nicole with a firm, reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. “That it was a witches blade used for evil is what has kept the wound bleeding far longer than it should have but Macha is strong and we’ve got a secret weapon, haven’t we, old friend?”

“Huh? Oh, hi, Clarke,” Nicole smiled warmly as the other woman joined them. She was glowing, literally. Her whole body right down to the ends of her pale golden hair was suffused with energy from the trees she called home. It radiated out in a bright glow from the bottle in her hand as though she had trapped a small sun within the confines of the glass.

Clarke reverently placed the small bottle into Alexandria’s capable hands with a quick warning for her not to drop it before stepping back to stand at Waverly’s side. They had heard and seen for themselves what the officers there had found but exactly what had taken place with Waverly was still a mystery. One that was playing on her friend’s mind more than she was letting on, going by the thoughtful expression putting creases into Waverly’s brow.

Clarke wanted to ask how she was but she held the question back as she met Waverly’s eyes and saw the sheen of tears glistening upon her lashes ready to spill.

Moving closer still, she wrapped her arm around Waverly’s slender shoulder and offered her support through her presence and by occupying her mind with the healing properties of the ointment she had created until she was ready to speak.

A peace seemed to settle over the land as Alexandria removed the small stopper from the bottle.

The background chatter of humanity faded away and even the air seemed to hold its breath as everything was pushed aside by the fiercely bright, but calming glow of the ointment sparking upon the tips of Alexandria’s fingers as she smoothed them slowly and tenderly down the cut. Macha’s only move was to snort softly and press her head closer to Nicole but apart from that, she stayed still and even closed her eyes in peaceful contentment as the ointment got to work.

The other horses moved closer. The eyes of the young ones were bright and wide as they peered cautiously around Akna’s body until their curiosity won out and they stepped bravely forward until one was leaning against Nicole while the other had its head draped over Alexandria’s shoulder to get a closer look as her nimble fingers worked to wrap up Macha’s leg with a wide bandage.

The beautiful, peaceful tableau was complete as Calamity abandoned whatever hiding place she had been watching everything from and sauntered over. With a couple of nimble jumps, she made her way onto Nicole’s shoulder to sit on Macha’s back with a purr Clarke could hear from where she was standing with Waverly.

“Okay, all done,” nodding, Alexandria gently nudged the foal back so she could stand up. “You leave that alone now you hear… especially you,” she tapped the foal on the shoulder reproachfully as it stretched out the elegant arch of its neck and tried to mouth the white bandage for anything loose to grab hold of. Smirking at its antics, she shooed the playful foal away and ran her hand down Macha’s neck, feeling the twitch of strong muscle beneath warm silky skin.

“Is she okay?”

“Once she’s rested and done playing for sympathy,” she chuckled as Macha dramatically threw her head over Nicole’s shoulder and yanked her closer with a nod of her head. “The cut wasn’t deep and she will heal quickly now. She once became entangled with some abandoned barbed wire when she was a foal and the biggest challenge was trying to keep the bandages clean as she kept rolling in the dirt as soon as they were changed. Somehow I feel sure that that will be the greatest challenge again.”

“I’ll change them as often as I need too, won’t I girl?” Nicole chuckled as Macha nodded her head up and down over her shoulder in apparent agreement. “Okay, you two ready to help get the young un’s loaded?” Nicole was fairly certain that their horses were smarter than a good many people as they wheeled away from the fence, CJ still riding Macha’s back, and let out soft calls that drew the playful foals back to their sides ready to be loaded up onto a horse trailer borrowed from JD. There was also no doubt in Nicole’s mind that the horses would have all preferred to make their own way through the trees back to the village but until Macha was healed and Loblaw was dealt with, no one was going anywhere alone.

“CJ, girl, if you don’t get a move on you’re travelling with the horses while Bern rides shotgun with us!” she called out in warning. Their guardian gave her a sleepy, offended look and flounced back to their side by way of a long road back along the top of the fence. CJ reached them in her own sweet time, the tip of her tail twitching as she booped them all with her head like a queen bestowing a greeting upon her lowly subjects.

“Where’s Ber— Ahh, here he comes!” Waverly patted her thighs, encouraging Bernie into a full-on sprint that saw him dodging around legs like a streak of black and white before he leapt into her arms. She couldn’t help but laugh at the slobbery licks he bestowed upon her with a ruthless determination while his body writhed and wiggled in an attempt to get closer. He was a delightful handful, but well versed in wrangling with four active pups, Waverly ran her hands over him, making sure he was as okay as he seemed.

Waverly hadn’t been aware of holding her breath until her touch found nothing, not even the smallest bump or scratch or hint of a sore spot, and something unhitched in her chest that had her sucking in a ragged breath and burying her face against him. “What have you all been up to, huh?”

In reply to her soft utterance, Bernie swiped his tongue across her cheek, pulling a wet chuckle from her, and Calamity let out a trilling MERP as she rubbed against them both. With one last kiss to both warm, fuzzy heads, Waverly placed Bernie on the ground and watched fondly as he moved between them, his whole demeanour as alert as Nicole’s as their eyes raked protectively across the land around them as they walked towards their house.

“Has there been any news of Jean?”

“Nothing good,” Clarke sighed regretfully. “There is no body to be found but I and your Officer Liu were able to feel where he was killed.” She nodded to where the young officer was standing looking determined if a little wide-eyed and green around the gills. “She was unfortunate and stumbled upon the area by accident but she’s holding herself together well.”

“We’ll make sure she has the support she needs,” Nicole stated firmly. If Liu was going to live and work in Purgatory she was going to need it.

Xavier stepped out from the kitchen as they neared, his bigger muscled frame filling the doorway. His face was set into a mask of cool professionalism, the bright smile that lit and softened his handsome face missing for the moment.

“Whatever Bunny was planning, she wasn’t inside for long,” he growled as he stepped back inside with the others. “Her scent isn’t strong anywhere but—”

“She was scared when she left,” Waverly finished for him as she took in the acrid scent of fear lingering in the air.

“Terrified, I would say,” he smirked softly, knowingly, at the underlying hint of urine he’d caught. “She could try and claim that the papers found at the door and the gun were planted, but the scent is all hers and there were enough witnesses to see what she tried earlier.” He squeezed Waverly’s shoulder, reassuring himself as much as her that she was okay.

There were many things he could live without in his life but the growing family he had found and gathered around him since he had come to that strange little town in the middle of nowhere, Calgary, they were the ones he couldn’t live without. He wasn’t sure if she saw his professional mask slip or simply saw it written in his eyes as they prickled with tears, but he found his arms suddenly filled as she stepped into his space, tucking herself into the Waverly shaped space against his body as she wrapped her strong arms around his waist. The unique scent that was hers and Nicole’s bonded perfectly together rose around him to settle like a comforting embrace around his body. Xavier allowed himself to relax into it with a heartfelt sigh that went in no small way to washing away the fear of losing her that had been clawing at his soul since he and Doc had seen the aftermath of Bunny’s attempt on her life.

Xavier breathed in deeply, filling his lungs and straightening his shoulders resolutely. There would be time for hugs later. Years of them. But right then, their focus needed to be on keeping everyone safe and putting a stop to Bunny Loblaw. Gently he cupped Waverly’s face between his hands and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the crown of her head as he basked in his affection for his mate's sister before stepping back.

“Sheriff!” Liu rapped her knuckles against the wooden frame of the door to get their attention. “Sorry to interrupt. The horses are all loaded up and forensics say they’ve gotten all they can.”

“Okay. As soon as they’re ready, clear the area and get everyone to check their new assignments with JD at the station. No one travels alone or goes radio silent for any reason until Bunny turns up, make sure of that.”

“Yes, Sheriff. Do you want a team here for the night?” Despite her best efforts, Orla’s mind and eyes wandered to the kitchen window that unfortunately gave a clear view of the cordoned off area where the poor boy had been murdered and a shiver ran up her spine. Growing up it had been her sister that had been ‘gifted’ when it came to being able to sense things normal people couldn’t.

At the time, she had been jealous.

Her sister had been the centre of attention. The one the everyone, even the adults in the family had flocked to asking her to help them and offering her items to hold as they hung on to her every word.

Now, Orla knew what it was like to feel the lingering pain of the departed and hear their screams echoing through her head and it made her want to run and hide from everyone and everything.

But…

It also fuelled a determination within her that was building steadily to see justice done for Jean. She wasn’t sure if it would give his soul peace but maybe she could give it to his family and herself?

It _was_ what had driven her to become an officer of the law after all.

“That won’t be necessary; we’re not going to be here until this all gets sorted out. Liu,” Nicole stopped her before she could leave. “Remind everyone know I expect them to report into the doc’s after this as soon as their shifts allow. And I mean everyone,” she interrupted before Liu could voice the protest she could see forming in her eyes. “Purgatory needs all of its officers at their best.”

“Yes, Sheriff.”

“Are you including yourself with that order, Sheriff?” Waverly questioned knowingly as Liu left to go see to her duty.

“Waves, I have to deal with Wynonna on a daily basis, I can take on anything. But, yes,” she relented at Waverly’s extra judge-y look. “I’ll make sure they see there’s no stigma or weakness in getting help.” She smiled goofily and blushed a little as Waverly pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and whispered how good she was.

“Ahem,” Xavier cleared his throat subtly and gestured deeper into the house with a sweeping motion of his hand. “Shall we?”

Waverly crinkled her nose at Xavier as she passed him but her mind was soon back on track as they moved into the living room. The kitchen table had only subtly been out of place and had created a bubble or normalcy around them that was quickly broken.

The heavy couch they had picked to withstand the rigours of four children that liked to use furniture as a bouncing off point when they played; as well as numerous, long and even more vigorous make-out sessions had been tipped onto its back and pushed aside like it weighed no more than a feather. Surprisingly there didn’t seem to be any damage done to it. Nicole’s desk had similarly been manhandled and shoved away from its place to the side of the stairs scattering pens and papers from their usual perfectly aligned positions.

Waverly patted Nicole’s shoulder sympathetically as she let out a huff at the sight of her precious page-a-day calendar on the floor looking rumpled and a little worse for wear. The growl that came from her type-A personality love vibrated with a startling intensity through her palm and up her arm like an earthquake and Nicole wasn’t even looking at her desk.

A violent storm gathered in her usually calm eyes and with a couple of long strides that ate the distance like an angry god storming across the land, she was before the bookcase, her shoulders tense and fists clenched. Waverly swore she could hear the creak of Nicole’s bones as she unfurled her white knuckles and reached for the upended photograph usually standing proudly upon the top of the shelves.

The shelves were full of delicate knickknacks as well as books but the photograph was the only thing disturbed and Waverly didn’t have to scent the air to know that she would smell Bunny’s vile touch all over the now cracked frame.

“Nic—”

“Whatever happened, this,” she gestured towards the desk and couch, “that all happened on her way out. This,” she gently placed the frame back where it belonged, silently vowing to get a better, bigger, frame and to add even more photographs of their love for all to see. “This is too deliberate. She did this on the way in after she killed Jean.”

“She thought she was alone and had the time,” Alexandria stated. The leather of her fingerless gloves creaked in the silence as her hands tightened into fists. Knowing that she had been in the girl's nursery was one thing, seeing the path the woman had taken when she had killed Jean and invaded their home with the obvious intent of killing anyone she found inside, even innocent children, was another.

“Get what you need and let us leave this place for now.”

Nicole nodded brusquely in understanding and agreement and led the way upstairs. While Waverly gathered together what they needed from their bedroom and bathroom, she walked towards the nursery, the tips of her fingers following the thin gouge scored into the wall. Standing in the doorway, she gazed into the nursery. Given the state of the living room, she had been expecting, dreading, seeing something similar there but there was nothing to show what might have happened apart from a blanket from each bed laying on the floor as though dropped from a height.

Had Bunny gone inside and pulled them off in search of their daughters? Or was it somehow Bernie and CJ who were busy wrapping themselves up in the covers like they were trying to tell her something?

Plucking a wiggling Bernie out from under the blanket, Nicole held him at arm’s length and studied his sweet face and tried to imagine how he could be responsible for Bunny’s quick exit from their home and the heavy furniture been moved along the way. It seemed obscured and yet… Well, stranger things had happened.

“If that was you two, thank you.” He gave a soft woof and windmilled his tail so hard, Nicole was forced to adjust her grip on him and put him back on the floor. “Go on, crazy boy,” she gave him a light tap on the butt that had him wiggling even harder. “Time to get out of here and get back to the young ‘uns.” With an excited yap and scramble of paws, he raced for the stairs barrelling an indignant CJ before him and leaving Nicole alone with her thoughts.

With a critical eye, she scanned the room, piecing what she knew together and all the while tried to hold back the disappointment and the sick feeling in her stomach that she couldn’t just rely on her wolf senses and track Bunny down before she caused more trouble.

“You’re growling again, babe,” Waverly whispered softly as she ran her hand up the tense line of Nicole’s spine. Wrapping her arms around her from behind, she pressed her cheek against Nicole’s back.

“Just… frustrated and angry about what happened to poor Jean. All he wanted to do was work with the horses and she killed him. If he hadn’t been working here—”

“His death is on her, Nicole. Only on her.”

“Yes, but I should have done something about her sooner, Waves.”

“Nicole,” Waverly sighed softly in frustration, “you already know why you didn’t do anything then. And really, do you think that if Wynonna hadn’t agreed with you, that she would have just let it go because you’re Sheriff? My sister was busting Nedley’s balls for far less for years.”

“Please,” Nicole shuddered, “never ever mention Randy Nedley’s— well, _that_ ever again.”

“Idiot.”

“Your idiot,” Nicole smirked down at her.

“Yes, you are. Now, do I need to give your gorgeous butt a pat to get you moving?”

“Ya know, Waves, you’ve given birth to four beautiful daughters, I think you’re allowed to say ass when you want to,” smiling softly, Nicole kissed the tip of Waverly’s nose as she blushed and flustered a little at the very idea of any kind of a cuss word leaving her mouth outside of the bedroom or a life and death situation.

“Are you two ready yet? Everyone is leaving and Wynonna already sent me a text with a shopping list a mile long and said if we’re not there within the hour she’s teaching Dom and Kat how to ride her bike!”

“I would accuse her of exaggerating but—”

“—But it is Wynonna,” Waverly finished. “Come on, I want to hold our babies before Wynonna corrupts them too much.”

**********

Even with the stop to get enough groceries to satiate Wynonna’s desires for unhealthy snack food, they made good time and, going by her watch at least, it wasn’t too long before the village was coming into view between the trees. Waverly felt physically and mentally exhausted by the constant need for vigilance that had her and Xavier’s heads on a swivel the whole way while Nicole drove so they could keep an eye on the trees with their superior senses.

With everyone, even battle-hardened Yiska on alert, and Clarke and Aden using their abilities to watch the woods and back them up, they should have been perfectly safe, but no one was taking a chance when there was a witch involved.

Bernie bounded from the SUV as soon as the door was open and ran to greet Muffin who was waiting at Anya’s side. The taller, stoic-faced woman shook her head and allowed a fond smile to curve her lips as she watched the pair bound away no doubt to catch up on all the canine gossip before she turned her attention back on them.

She was dressed for war, her body clad in the dark layers of her traditional light armour that was more sturdy and practical than it looked and Waverly knew from training that it also helped the Yiska to blend seamlessly into the trees that surrounded their home. The dark hilt of her sword was just visible over her shoulder and Waverly was in no doubt that if Anya felt the need to draw it, the edge would be finely honed and gleaming with wicked intent.

It was both comforting and strangely disconcerting to see her dressed how she was, so ready to go to war. But then, she knew that Nicole was packing at least two guns that she knew of, and she could almost feel the itch to shed all remnants of her PSD uniform and get into her own Yiska armour in her mind even though she didn’t need it to cover her when she changed shape. It just helped her to tap into another part of herself just as any change of clothing did. It just so happened that they were clothes that allowed her to tap into a darker side that allowed her to fight and release herself of the restraints set upon her to uphold the law by her job as Sheriff.

Nodding her head in greeting, Anya quickly helped to unload the vehicle and handed bags off to Raven and Octavia. The quirk of Raven’s lips and eyebrow clearly stated that she would hear all about using her as a glorified valet later… and Anya looked forward to it as long as it didn’t get to the point of being threatened with things that went boom.

“You are just in time. Wynonna was just about to get the keys to that infernal machine of hers.”

“She still hasn’t let you take it for a spin then?” Nicole guessed at the sullen press of Anya’s lips into a tight line.

“No,” she grumbled and diligently ignored the snorts of humour from Raven and Octavia at the admittance. “Are these all for your place?”

“Might as well be. No doubt Wynonna will try to eat most of it as soon as she can anyway.”

“Nicole, she’s not that bad… Okay, yes, she is.” Waverly grinned as Nicole, Anya and Xavier all shot her matching ‘sure Jan’ look. They all knew that Wynonna was very food orientated but no more so than when it came to anything of Nicole’s. Waverly figured that it was some kind of strange Alpha thing as she didn’t get that obsessive over eating Nicole—

Her mind stuttered to a halt before her thought could come to the end it should of.

“You okay there, Wave? You just went _very_ red.”

“Yep. Uh huh. Fine,” Waverly croaked out past the out of the blue flash of desire her thoughts had provoked.

Nicole waited until the others had moved away. Edging closer, she trailed the tips of her fingers up long Waverly’s arms to her shoulders. Waverly’s breath hitched, her hazel eyes blowing wider as they met hers. Nicole leaned closer, dipping her head until her nose brushed against the curve of Waverly’s neck. She felt her swallow, her pulse thudding beneath her lips as they caressed across her bite indelibly etched into her flesh.

“I can feel you,” she uttered against her flesh as she swept her hands around and down her back, dragging her blunt nails with enough pressure to set Waverly’s spine writhing. Waverly’s fingers grasped for her, finding purchase in the fabric of her top where it lay against her waist. Her fingers tightened, pulling the fabric up out of the way so her hands could slide beneath. “I can feel how much you need me. How much you want me to—”

Surging up onto her toes, Waverly slanted her mouth down across Nicole’s, claiming the heated promises right from her mouth and returned it tenfold.

“Geez, you two just can’t be left alone for a hot minute, huh? No pun actually intended that time, Red,” Wynonna snorted out a chuckle at her amazing sense of humour. “Come on, dudes, really?” She rolled her eyes as they continued to kiss and do all that, the only sign they had even heard her came in the form of a couple of wildly aimed middle fingers as they writhed against the side of Xavier’s SUV. “Xavier will be pissed if you get his precious vehicle dirty. Okay, that’s it, I’m sending out your kids!”

“Waves I love every single part of you, you know that right? But sometimes, as in right now, I really, really hate your sister.”

“Aww, don’t be mean. ‘Nonna only teases ‘cause she loves you.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Nicole whispered with fake urgency. “She’ll throw me down a well to prove she doesn’t”

“Ya know, she did that to Doc once. Not to prove she didn’t love him. He was being a bit of a roguish jerk about something so she tipped him down an old well and walked away.”

“She— Okay,” Nicole glanced nervously towards the house as she filed away that bit of information and spotted Wynonna making ‘I’m keeping an eye on you’ gestures through a window. The overdone glower on her face and the unrepentant, teasing glint in Waverly’s eye caught her up to the fact that she was been teased and strung along by them both.

“Oohhh, bad girl!” she laughed lightly. Dipping down, she scooped Waverly off her feet, pulling a delighted gasp from her as her arm cinched in tightly around her thighs as she tossed her gently over her shoulder before she could even think of blocking her or making a run of it. Laying a teasing swat against Waverly’s perky ass as wandering hands grabbed at her own, she strode towards the house with her precious cargo giggling and bouncing lightly upon her shoulder with every step.

Pushing open the door with her foot, Nicole tossed a “back in a minute” and a wink to everyone gathered in the living room watching them, and continued past them to their bedroom to toss Waverly down onto the mattress. Waverly snagged her on the way down and Nicole tumbled willingly into her loving embrace with a laugh.

The laughter was much needed after the stress of the day but it faded, pushed back and turning into a longing and ache that heated up the air between them. Waverly’s eyes flickered back and forth between her own and her lips, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten parted lips still blushed and swollen from before. Nicole ached to bridge what little gap remained between them and, despite the knowledge that they really didn’t have the time for more, her body lowered, pressing deeper into the welcoming curve of Waverly’s.

Waverly hooked her feet around Nicole, running them along her calves and higher, using her strength and bendiness to pull her even closer. “Just one more,” she demanded on a whisper against the pillow of Nicole’s lips, the words were barely formed before they were taken from her with a kiss that was passionate and tender in its slowness and left her aching for more.

_More. More. More._

Breathing heavily, she chased Nicole’s lips with a needy whimper as she drew away. Realising that Nicole wasn’t going to be swayed, Waverly slid her hands down over the back of Nicole’s pants and dug her nails in through the taught fabric right where she knew she was guaran-damn-teed to get the best of responses.

And get it she did as Nicole hissed in a breath and her hips canted sharply forward and ground down into the cradle of her thighs with just the right amount of force and in just the right place to have Waverly seeing stars in galaxies only dreamed about.

“And you accuse me of being sneaky,” Nicole murmured against Waverly’s neck breathlessly.

“You _are_ a very, _very_ sneaky squirrel of an Alpha. I’m just making use of my finely honed research skills,” she grinned up at Nicole.

“Well, how about I show you what my investigation skills have taught me about _you_ later?” She tiptoed her fingers along Waverly’s side as she spoke, playing with the way Waverly’s breathing hitched and her body twitched with anticipation beneath hers. “Unfortunately, as much as I would like to kick everyone out and show you right now, I can hear the kids getting up.”

Waverly huffed and pouted playfully as, sure enough, she heard the girls stampeding around sounding more like a herd of baby elephants than tiny wolves. With Wynonna’s aide, the door was flung open moments later and they spilt into the room and scrambled onto the bed.

“There’s my girls!” Chuckling softly, Nicole stroked her fingers through the girls’ baby fine, red locks in an attempt to regain control their adorable bedhead hair but, much like with her own sometimes, it was hopeless and just left everyone giggling.

Nicole sat on the edge of the bed and took a moment while Waverly wrangled the kids and got them off the bed. The room seemed to slip away from her, their joyous giggling fading away with the suddenly overwhelming pressure on her chest and the screaming in her head at the thought of how too damn close she had come to losing them.

“Go get you some snacks off aunty Clarke,” Waverly gently urged them. As soon as the door swung too behind them and their rising cries of “Klork! Aunty Klork! Klork!” Waverly moved quickly and knelt down in front of Nicole. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, her eyes glazed while her hands tightened into fists within the bed covers. She covered them with her own and diligently unfurled her fingers with sure strokes of her hand.

“Hey,” she tilted Nicole’s face up with a finger beneath her chin. “We’re okay, Nicole. Focus on that, and not what could have happened. We’re okay. Listen to them, baby,” she urged gently. Nicole’s brow furrowed, a soft sound of distress coming from deep within her until she focussed past her fears and heard their childish chatter and laughter coming from the living room. “That’s better. Keep focussing on them and this,” entwining their hands together she placed Nicole’s hand on her chest so she could feel her heart. “We’re okay.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” Nicole smiled gratefully at Waverly for pulling her back and helping her to focus enough to breathe and climb back from the edge.

**********

“Still no news on Mama?”

“Not yet. Jeremy is on it though.” Xavier narrowed his eyes at Wynonna as his mate grumbled behind the cover of her family sized packet of ketchup chips she was determinedly working her way through on her own. She was not known for her patience unless it was on her own terms and her mother going missing at such a time would never make it on to that list. “As soon as he knows anything, he’ll be in touch.”

“He better,” Wynonna grumbled. “Until then though, did you find out anything from your place? Jean?”

“He’s gone.” The case of Nicole’s laptop creaked alarmingly under the pressure of her grip as Nicole bit the word out angrily. “Afraid this won’t be as good as Waverly’s murder board—”

“Not a murder board.”

“—but Liu gave us all the crime scene photos and reports.”

“On that small screen? We would be better off with Waverly’s murder board—”

“It’s not a murder board.”

“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it kind of is a murder board, babygirl.”

“That would make it a duck, Wynonna. Anyway, it’s for research and evidence. Not my fault that a lot of that includes murders.”

“Show us what your people found, Nicole. I am interested to see if our thinking is the same on this or if they see things differently. And then we will go over what happened later in town.”

**********

In the end, the path of Bunny’s murderous journey through their home was obvious even of what had driven her away could still only be guessed at with most eyes falling on CJ and Bernie.

Waverly couldn’t help but wish that Mattie was still alive so they could as if it was normal or if Calamity was extra special as a guardian… she was betting extra special. But what of Bernie? They had all just assumed that he was lost in the woods but what if there was more to him too?

Her musing was disturbed by mention of Purgatory and the realisation that Nicole and Wynonna were going over what had happened there. The closer that it came to what had happened… what had nearly happened, Waverly felt like she hearing something that had happened to someone else.

“—We were just heading out to try and cut the bitch-witch off when she came barreling into town,” Wynonna recounted. “It all happened so quickly… too quickly,” she swallowed down rising waves of bile that had her regretting her snack decision and abandoning the rest of the chips. “Getting to the vehicles would have taken longer than anything but even with my wolf working, Nicole here was first to get running and got closest.”

“Not close enough though,” she whispered brokenly. “What Waverly did, whatever that was, that was what saved them all,” lifting Waverly’s hand in hers, she gave it a tender squeeze. “You were amazing, Waves.”

“Babygirl was awesome.”

“It felt similar to what I did to Bobo Del Rey. Stronger though. I just wanted her gone. To stop her. I— I thought it was too late though,” she admitted shakily. “Whatever it is, I don’t know how to control it and that’s as scary as being able to do anything at all. What if I just wave to someone in the street and take half the town out?”

“You won’t.”

“You can’t know that, Nicole!”

“For starters, I know your heart. You wouldn’t do anything like that. Both times you’ve used your powers like that, it’s been against people that have been out to kill you.”

“Might be wise to hold back on the smiles and waves until you get the hang of it though, sis. Don’t worry, we won’t let them take the sash,” Wynonna sniggered. “In all seriousness though, and as much as I hate to say this, I think Red-Haught-Chilli-Pepper is right, you’re just too damn good to do anything like that.”

“I would say that’s because she’s part angel but— whoa! Hold on there now, cheekbones!”

“Kevin!?”

“In the flesh,” raising their hand, Kevin tried to relieve the pressure of the sword pressed against her throat but the tall woman with the dangerous eyes and even more dangerous cheekbones kept her hand steady and refused to be budged. “Where do you keep your pickles?”

“I hate pickles.”

“What— what did you mean, part angel?”

“I was hoping that Michelle would have filled you all in on that by now. Knew I shouldn’t have left her alone,” Kevin sighed. “But when a call like that comes in I’m unable to refuse. Excellent job in town, by the way, Waverly. You wrote your own story and stopped whatever schemes they had planned. And I didn’t have to take any souls home early which is always a good thing.”

Kevin froze, their voice suddenly failing them as a second blade joined the first with the chilling sound of the two blades sliding together and they found themselves locked within the steely green gaze of the Yiska’s leader. Kevin had heard all about the woman but hearing about her had in no way prepared them for the reality.

“You need to be quiet.”

“But not too quiet,” Wynonna suggested coolly. “’Cause, if you don’t tell us what the hell is going on and where our Mama is, so help me, I will take great delight in letting my wolf out to rip your wings off.”

“That- that is a surprisingly scary threat.”

“And yet you’re still flapping your gums and wasting what little is left of my patience,” Wynonna snorted mockingly, keeping her tone light-ish even though the sight of Waverly holding on to Nicole to focus herself and keep Nicole from ripping Kevin’s throat out with her bare hands was making her blood boil. “Talk!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Wynonna whipped around so fast as the door banged open that she nearly tripped over her own feet.

“If you open your mouth Kevin, I will stick my foot so far down your damn throat I’ll be able to kick your ass at the same time!”

“Mama!?” Waverly stepped out from behind the barrier of Nicole and Xavier’s bodies where they had both pushed her too. She wasn’t sure what was more shocking right then, the sudden reappearance of her Mama or the sight of the guns held unwaveringly within their hands. It was so abrupt that it wasn’t until her brain registered them that the smell of gunpowder and oil made her nose twitch as though they had drawn them quicker than the scent could keep up with.

She placed her hands against both barrels and pressed gently but firmly, breaking the tension as she forced them to lower their guns.

Opening her arms, Michelle let out a rush of air as Waverly barrelled into them and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Sorry I’m late. I got a puncture and I couldn’t get a signal to call and let you know.”

“Where have you been, Mama?”

“Visiting the past now that I can remember more of it. I have lost so many years with you all, my sweet, sweet girls. Far too many,” she gently stroked Waverly’s soft hair back off her face and pressed a heartfelt kiss to her forehead. Holding out a hand she wiggled her fingers, urging Wynonna to come close enough to snag her and pull her into their embrace. “I missed all the big moments in your lives and all the little along with it that went into shaping you into the remarkable women that you are. I can remember holding you for the first time and changing your stinky diapers and now my babies have got babies!”

“I still can hardly believe _that_ myself,” Wynonna smiled against her shoulder.

“There’s something I’ve remembered that needs to be told, and I’ll be damned if some jumped up little bird will be the one to tell you,” she levelled a glare at Kevin over her daughter's shoulder.

**********

“Ward was a good enough man when I met him. Sweet, charming… bit of a rogue. Everyone around town loved him but he had a mean side to him. He never showed it around me. Oh, I heard rumours around town about it but I just thought it was jealousy coming out in others because he was lined up to be the next pack leader. I don’t know what was going on in that man’s head but after we became mated he let the angry side out where I could see it and blamed me for it, well for everything really when things didn’t go how he wanted.”

Wynonna screwed her eyes tightly shut as she heard the echo of slaps and thuds of fists on flesh and her dad’s voice screaming beyond her tightly closed bedroom door that it was all her fault. “Why didn’t you leave?”

“I tried once when you were just a baby, Wynonna. He and his buddies caught me before I could cross the line and he— he said if I ever tried anything like that again he would kill you and Willa and have me blamed for it. I couldn’t have cared less about myself but I couldn’t risk him doing anything to my girls. I made the decision to stay though so don’t put any of that on yourselves.”

“No! You don’t get to do that Mama. I put it all on him. You were abused, physically and mentally, and no sane person would put that on the one suffering the abuse.”

“He got to abuse you too—”

“Still not your fault. And we made it out okay… we all have.” Wynonna looked across the room to where all the babies were playing quietly with Raven and Aden. What had happened to them growing up was something no person should ever go through and something their kids would never experience. For them, there would be explanations to help them to understand anything they were doing that was wrong and timeouts to think things through. There would be help and understanding for them instead of raised fists, harsh shakes, or belts and switches they had grown up with, and some people still inexplicably still thought of as a suitable way to ‘punish’ children.

“I met Julian for the first time after Ward ‘corrected’ me on something… can’t even remember what it was now but I’d taken you and Willa to one of my safe places where Ward didn’t like to go.”

“The Swan Sanctuary—”

“And the Gibson greenhouse. That was where I went that day and while you and Willa were off exploring, he appeared.” She couldn’t help but smile at the memory of the man with the kind eyes and gentle touch who had tended to her wounds. “He helped patch my body up then and many more times after. And he helped mend my heart too over time. Things between us, erm, they escalated.”

“Obviously,” Wynonna gently tousled Waverly’s hair fondly. “Hmm, I guess this explains your excessive nesting when you were pregnant, Waves.”

“I’m part angel, not part chicken. And… you were worse with the nesting!”

“Well, we are sisters.”

Waverly settled for rolling her eyes rather than beating her head against Wynonna’s mind-bending logic. “So, I really am part angel and not an Earp then? There’s no… doubts?”

“None. I wasn’t sleeping around with anyone else. Not even Ward by then. And before there’s any sass from you, young lady!” Wynonna’s teeth clicked together as her jaw snapped shut. “Yes, we did practice safe sex but it didn’t work one time. Once I realised there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to keep my miracle baby. No doubt at all,” she smiled lovingly.

“Luckily, Ward was too caught up in his own thing and didn’t notice that I was pregnant until it was too late and when he did, I just told him we’d had sex one night when he was wasted on enough drink and drugs to addle even his hard head. Not sure that he really believed that but he let it slide until the day that he didn’t.”

“What did Julian say when he found out?” Waverly asked curiously.

“For the first couple of minutes I thought he was going to have a heart attack,” Michelle chuckled. “He just stood there looking dumb for a couple of seconds before he started pacing and pulling at his hair just ranting away.”

“Oh,” Waverly sagged a little. It was foolish to feel like she was being rejected when she hadn’t even known him but it still stung a little to realise that neither father had wanted her.

Michelle gently cupped Waverly’s face between her hands. “That was for a couple of minutes and then he grinned so wide, dropped to his knees and started talking to you. Even then, not once did he try any of that masculine bullshit of saying I had to get rid of you. From what Kevin told me, he knew the risks to you and himself and it didn’t matter. He promised you right there and then that he would work everything out and keep you safe.”

“What happened?”

“His bosses for one. But, ultimately, Ward happened. When Juan Carlo saved me, he hid me a little too well and Julian wasn’t able to find us.”

“How come I can’t remember Julian,” Wynonna frowned.

“You wouldn’t beyond the feeling of someone trustworthy. That is how most of us feel to people. We’re the person that holds open a door or gives up a seat.”

“Strangely, not getting that impression with any of you now,” Wynonna snarked back, silencing the annoying angel faster than the blades still held within Alexandria and Anya’s capable hands poised threateningly against her throat.

“Yes, well,” Kevin shrugged regretfully as they took in everyone in the room and all that had been done to them by their kind. “That was then.”

“And now we know what kind of manipulative bastards you can be when hiding behind your rule of non-interference.”

“That used to be one of the few things I agreed on with _them_. Kind of a celestial prime directive. But there is a difference between not interfering and withholding things. Juan Carlo lost his life finally standing up for what he knew was right but I believe now that a part of him died from doing nothing a long time ago. Only you, Michelle, and the hope that someone would come along that was strong enough and could take on Kukulkan kept him going.”

**********

“You have stayed strangely quiet, my friend,” Alexandria stated softly as she took a seat next to Nicole as the others continued to talk through everything that Michelle had remembered. “You have qualms?”

“You mean about Waverly being an angel?” Nicole guessed correctly with a quick glance to Alexandria’s sharp jawline and watchful green gaze. “Hell,” she smiled, her gaze returning fully to Waverly once more, “I didn’t need to see Waverly flipping a car down the street with a wave of her hand to know she was special. I knew from the moment she bounded out of the trees and started making a claim on me. Granted, I didn’t guess at her being an angel.” She shrugged. “But, I’m not surprised. Knowing her, are you?”

“No,” Alexandria admitted with a smile as she looked at Waverly too and saw her look back at Nicole with such a look of love shining from her eyes she could have lit up the whole village, “I’m not surprised at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't really want to end the chapter where I did but it was getting pretty long.


	34. Chapter 34

Nicole pulled the collar of her jacket up around her ears to meet the edge of the cap of her PSD issue cap in a vain attempt to protect herself from the rain lashing down. She darted from the shelter of her vehicle and jogged down the darkened street. Her booted feet slapped against the ground sending up splashes of water that soaked into the legs of her pants that somehow managed to feel slightly more aggravating and noticeable through the driving rain that, within seconds, had soaked through her hat to pour down her face and wormed its cold fingers beneath the neck of her jacket to crawl down her spine.

Even though she had called ahead to let them know she was on the way to where Xavier and Jeremy were holed up in Xavier’s SUV together for their turn staking out Bunny Loblaw’s house, it still inexplicably startled Jeremy as she opened the door. The bag of pistachios he’d been snacking on flew into the air, scattering them far and wide around the inside of Xavier’s immaculately kept vehicle.

Xavier’s snarl of frustration rumbled through the air like the growl of thunder or the rumble of an avalanche as he brushed bits of shells and nuts off his head and the dashboard.

“Sorry! Oh, god! I’m sorry!” Jeremy stuttered out as she simultaneously tried to shrink back and become one with door and brush bits of shell off Xavier.

“ _This_ is why I told you no eating in my car, Jeremy,” he growled lowly. Acknowledging Nicole as she settled into the backseat, he gave her a nod through the rear-view mirror and tried not to mourn his seats as he saw the water pouring off her onto the leather.

“If I don’t eat regularly my blood sugar drops!”

“You have been eating nonstop since we got here! No…” he took a deep breath and stretched out his fingers before they bent the steering wheel in half or reached for Jeremy’s throat. “This is okay. Quick clean of the interior… Which you will pay for, Chetri! And all will be good.”

“Pay? I’ll bring my— my—”

Nicole had to admire Xavier’s restraint, no doubt cultivated from prolonged exposure to Wynonna. But it served him well as Jeremy let out a sudden and unrestrained sneeze that sprayed across the dash and windscreen.

“Sorry!” Jeremy sniffled wetly against the sleeve of his sweatshirt “Nut allergies,” he tried to explain as he dabbed at the droplets of mucus with a single square of tissue paper that he’d found inexplicably but handily lodged in the corner of his jeans pocket.

“Nut allergies?”

“Yeah.”

“But you were eating—”

“Let it go, Xavier,” Nicole advised gently, giving the bulging muscle of his shoulder a squeeze before he wolfed out and tore his precious SUV and Jeremy to pieces. “Blood is a bitch to get out of all the nooks and crannies.” Jeremy made a startled sound at the back of his throat, the whites of his eyes shining like lanterns in the darkened interior of the vehicle. “And we kind of need his computer skills… for the moment anyway.” Jeremy swallowed hard and loudly enough that Xavier’s shoulders twitched in response.

Congratulations, Jer,” Nicole slapped him just a bit harder than necessary on the shoulder, crumpling him down further in the seat.

“No problem… what are you congratulating—”

“You managed to break a man that has learned patience through living with Wynonna. That is _seriously_ impressive.”

“Nicole, if you scare him too much he’s going to hightail it out of here screaming and blow the stakeout completely.”

“I wouldn’t! I’m not scared! I’m not,” Jeremy pouted a little more than he wanted to admit at their knowing looks. “I just get nervous sometimes,” he muttered. And when he got nervous…

“Jeremy!” Xavier snatched the bag of pistachios that had appeared in Jeremy’s hand from the inside of his sweatshirt and slapped it down on the dash out of reach. “No!” he slapped Jeremy’s hand down. “No more snacks! No more talking!”

“But—”

“No. More. Talking!”

“And I won’t, I’ll be just as quiet as a dead mouse… once you let me point out that I just saw someone over by the Loblaw house!”

“What?!” Nicole leaned forward between the front seats, her shoulders brushing theirs as they all strained to see through the rain and darkness but without her wolf, she was left frustrated. “Xavier?”

“I’m not getting anything.”

“I didn’t imagine it,” Jeremy whined in frustration. “I’m not lying, I swear—”

“Never thought you were,” Xavier assured him softly. “Just saying I’m not able to see it yet. How are those cameras you set up?”

“Of course!” Snatching his laptop from where it was laying on the dash, Jeremy quickly brushed aside the stray bits of nut off it onto the floor and pulled up the camera feed from the cameras he’d placed all around Bunny’s house himself and made sure they were all set to night vision. “Here we go!”

Nicole looked at the small plan of Bunny’s house on the screen and checked where each camera was located. It was hard to believe that Bunny could have gotten far from the accident with how damaged it had been and with how much blood was in it, But, she had somehow managed to evade the efforts of the best trackers the PSD, BBD, Yiska and the pack, and even the non-werewolf citizens of Purgatory had to offer for just over a week. Even if she had managed to catch a ride out of Canada, they should have been able to track her to where she had hitched a ride. And death was definitely no avenue of escape with their sense of smell or that of the cadaver dogs.

And yet, there they were, resorting to staking out a house in the pouring rain. All in the off chance she would turn up even though it had remained empty since that day, instead of being at home with their families.

“Where I saw her, or whoever that was, it puts them around this area right here,” Jeremy pointed to the plans. “If anything crosses the sensors of any of the cameras an alarm will go off on the laptop.”

With perfect, almost spookily so, timing, the laptop started chiming and flashing and they saw something dark passing so close by the lens of one of the cameras that it juddered and toppled sideways, the point of view shifting as it landed on the ground. The figure paused so close to the camera that the feed was rendered a bright green with nothing to focus upon.

And then, the camera went dark, static replacing the feed as a foot or something heavy was brought down upon it.

“No! My baby!” Jeremy looked around for sympathy and found he was alone. Not just in his sorrow but actually alone!

Spinning back around, he spotted the dark shadows of Xavier and Nicole sprinting either side of the road using the night and the pouring rain to cover their approach as they made their way towards the distant outline of the house. “Be careful, guys,” he whispered into his mic even though quiet wasn’t necessary from his side. “I really don’t want to have to face Waves or Wynonna, or Doc’s gorgeously handsome pouting face if anything happens to you.”

“Radio silence, Jer.” Xavier huffed out the reminder as he briefly ducked beneath the level of a bush and checked around before signalling to Nicole it was clear for them to move on. “I still can’t smell much of anything out here so you’re our eyes and ears. Keep watching the feed for us and let us know if you pick anything up.”

“Will do.” He quickly dropped his eyes back down to his laptop and focussed in on the video feeds of the remaining cameras intently. He was determined to do everything he could to keep them safe… and not just because Wynonna scared him, and he was terrified of seeing Waverly heartbroken if anything happened to Nicole.

“I’ve got movement around the back of the property,” he reported in an urgent whisper. “West corner— and there goes another camera,” he huffed. “Two blind spots now. I won’t be able to tell if they come back around so be careful.”

“Understood,” Nicole whispered back. Looking across the road, she gestured in the direction she was taking and quietly drew her weapon as Xavier put on an impressive burst of speed to pass the house to come in from the other side. It was surprisingly smooth working was Xavier as their training matched enough that they didn’t have to explain what they were doing, but Nicole still missed having Waverly at her side even though she didn’t want her exposed to dangerous situations.

Planting her gloved hand down securely on top of a mossy, rain-slickened wall that was just above the height of her waist, Nicole quickly, quietly slipped over it onto the property and crouched there for just a moment. Long enough for her heart to beat and her eyes to scour the land and the building before she moved through the shadows at a quick but cautious place.

In her ear, she could hear the soft, even puff of Xavier’s breathing as she gave the mic a quick double tap to let him know with one of their prearranged signals that she was moving into position. Wiping the rain from her eyes, she paused at one of Jeremy’s cameras and gave him a little wave.

“Got you on camera, Nicole. No more signs of movements from any of the others and Xavier has just come into position.”

Nicole gestured again.

“Roger that, Nicole. Xavier, you’re good to go in three… two...”

Jeremy watched intently as they moved around the building. Even though he knew which route they would take, and even with technology on his side, it was surprisingly difficult, annoyingly so, to keep track of them with how easily they moved and made use of their surroundings. But watching them in _no_ way made him feel like an uncoordinated sack of potatoes in comparison.

Not that there was anything wrong with potatoes. Robin was very fond of them.

“Movement by the door at the rear of the property,” he reported quietly, his nose nearly dragging across the laptop screen as he tried to make more sense of what he was seeing. “Not a clear enough view to make anything out.”

As they met up together, Xavier tapped his nose and shook his head to let her know he still wasn’t getting anything. He wasn’t sure if that was because he just hadn’t got the range to pick up her sent or if something was interfering, maybe a spell or just the weather, but he was effectively nose blind.

The rain.

The wet earth.

Even Nicole’s scent.

Those were clear to him.

Everything else was faint and jumbled in a strange way that had the hair standing up on the back of his neck in warning. He realised how affected by it he was as Nicole tapped his arm and tilted her head on one side questioningly. Signalling he was okay, he adjusted his grip on his Glock to make sure his hand wouldn’t slip and followed her lead in through the open door.

The scent of wet earth grew inexplicably stronger when they got inside and the foreign scent mingled with that of Bunny Loblaw’s home; furniture polish, bleach and something that was just ‘off’, tightened his jaw and set his teeth on edge.

They knew the layout of the building well after sweeping through it several times for evidence and clues but Xavier was pleased to see, proud even, that Nicole didn’t let the familiarity relax her in any way as they moved as a smooth, cohesive team and checked each and every room from top to bottom.

“Clear,” he sighed. “Maybe he only thought he saw something coming inside.”

“No, I trust Jeremy. And I know you checked around when Jeremy set the cameras up, you know that door was shut before just as I do. Jeremy, you’re mic is still on,” she rolled her eyes at his high-pitched squeal of joy that filled their ears.

“I don’t care! You trust me!”

“I take it back, I don’t trust you.”

“Ha! No take-backsies! I’ve got proof that you trust me and everyone is going to know you do ‘cause I’m setting it as my new ringtone!”

“Quiet.”

Jeremy clasped a hand over his mouth to stop his instinctive urge to ask what was going on. And he knew there was something because Nicole’s tone had been urgent and not exasperated. He strained his ears for a clue and, just as he was about to give up, he caught a strange, rolling, thudding noise over their mics that was louder but more distant than anything they were doing.

“That’s coming from downstairs.”

“Nicole, there is no downstairs. You saw the plans, this place hasn’t got a basement or any kind of a crawlspace.”

“Then the plans and everything we’ve looked at were wrong, Xavier, _that_ was below us.”

He nodded in agreement even as he wished they were wrong.

Being wrong, meant that they _hadn’t_ somehow missed a whole other area for over a week!

Being wrong, meant that they _hadn’t_ left people there believing they were safe to do their jobs, bagging and tagging, while everyone that was armed had stayed outside out of their way!

Being wrong, meant they _hadn’t_ been chasing their asses from one end of the Ghost River Triangle to the other, spreading their resources too thin while Bunny had been holed up at home!

Spreading out, they tracked the sounds from below to the kitchen but they still couldn’t find a possible way down to where the noise had come from. The floors were solid stone covered in tiles and there was nothing that screamed ‘hidden door’ but Nicole found herself returning to the walk-in storage pantry.

The room was a throwback to a bygone era and apparently not used for anything other than storing a handful of outdated recipe books from the sixties and seventies. Which was strange as there was a shelf full of them in the kitchen itself and the room was too big to just be left as wasted space. The floor there was wrong too. Bare, exposed stones were not something for a woman whose house suggested that she would throw a fit if a speck of dust landed anywhere within.

Nicole crouched and then lay down to check under the shelves, her cheek resting upon the cold, exposed stone in an effort to get the best view. _There!_ She gestured towards the ground, pointing out grooves worn into the stone from something being dragged over the same place for years.

Stepping back, she held her weapon poised, guarding his back as Xavier took a firm hold of the floor to ceiling shelves and pulled. There was a slight motion as they gave but with his strength, he should have been able to pick them up and move them even if they’d been stacked with gold bars. What his heave did shift though, was the recipe books as all but one toppled over.

Xavier reached out to touch the lone book that was still inexplicably standing but pulled back just before his fingers could brush it as his eyes took in the cover covered in images depicting slaves being tortured. He’d heard about books like that before but they were usually old tomes, depicting a time that should have been long gone. This one was all the more sickening as it was obviously new.

A modern guide to slaves, and how to train and punish them without getting your sick ass caught.

“How did forensics not see this?” he questioned in an urgent whisper.

“Look at it again.”

Frowning, Xavier did as Nicole said and looked at the book. The disgust was still there but it was washed aside by confusion as the book changed before his eyes and became a normal recipe book. “What the?”

“She’s a witch,” Nicole shrugged at the trite sounding explanation. But really, what else could it be? “Forensics couldn’t tag it because they couldn’t see it. Maybe we can because we know what she’s like? Who knows? Thing is, I think we’ve found the way down.”

“What is it? Where is it?” Jeremy asked with barely surprised excitement.

“Secret door behind a bookshelf that’s activated by pulling on a book.”

“No. Way.” Jeremy almost purred the words out as he heard the sounds of a door unlatching through the mic. “Oh, I’m begging you, please tell me I can come and look at that with you?”

“You want to come where the witch might be hiding?” Nicole could almost hear the record scratch as Jeremy applied the brakes on his glee and backpedalled furiously.

“Erm! Well! Maybe when you’ve cleared the area? And exorcized it… is that a thing with witches? Burning sage and all that?”

“Jeremy, focus,” Xavier ordered. “We’re heading down. Keep an eye on the outside in case anyone tries sneaking up behind us.”

“For the record, I don’t like your plan. It would be much better with backup, and flamethrowers, but… Roger that.”

The stone stairs hidden behind the bookcase weren’t narrow but they weren’t wide enough to walk side by side as they descended down into the darkness. With her hand brushing his shoulder, Nicole let Xavier take the lead, trusting his eyes to protect them rather than announcing their arrival by using any lights.

Even so, Nicole’s breathing and the soft but not soft enough thud of her boots upon stone sounded too loud in her own ears and made her feel jittery in a way that still felt foreign. Without her wolf she was vulnerable. And if she was vulnerable how could she keep Xavier safe?

Nicole quickly yanked her thoughts to a halt before they could run away with her. There was no getting around the problem of her wolf but she wasn’t going to let it hold her back from doing what she had to.

Jaw tightening, Nicole breathed in deeply, clearing her mind of the chattering voices telling her she wasn’t good enough and let the procedures and training from the Academy that were ingrained almost as deep as the ones life had thrown at her take over and guide her as she took the last step into the room beyond.

Dropping her hand from Xavier’s shoulder, she moved to the right as he went left, her gun raised, cocked and ready as she did a careful sweep of the room.

Her eyes had adjusted on the way down the stairs but there was a faint glow to the room permeating from the walls and floor. Nicole brushed her fingers over the wall. She was sure that Waverly would probably know just what kind of strange phenomenon was causing the glow but all Nicole was say was that it was slimy and she was glad she was wearing her gloves as she tried to shake the thick, mucousy slime off.

“Gross.”

“Is that an official description, Sheriff Haught?” Xavier teased.

“Yes, yes it is, Deputy Marshal Dolls,” Nicole grimaced as she stepped around a wide, glowing pool of the stuff that bubbled like molten lava where it had gathered on the ground in the middle of the room that was actually more cave that room with how it was formed in the bedrock deep beneath the house.

The only thing there that truly looked out of place were bundles of what turned out to be sticks, bones, feathers and the occasional chicken or rabbit foot strung from the ceiling. And then they had been converted, their forms changed by the slime and water dripping from them until they were hardened into stone.

“There’s one thing I don’t get about this place.”

“Just one?” Nicole grimaced as Xavier brushed one of the bundles and the pieces it was made of clinked together like the creepiest wind chimes ever.

“Mhm,” he confirmed. “This place is creepy as hell but,” he swept his arm around. “Nicole, what was making the noises we heard?” He stiffened as Nicole did, his body spinning around so fast to follow the direction of her wide-eyed look of disbelief that he nearly tripped over his own feet.

What he had assumed was a random pile of small boulders and rubble was coming alive! The stones rolled and stacked themselves with increasing speed, the sound of them coming together to form a hulking, barely humanoid shape that rivalled the height of his full-moon form was bizarre and chilling.

The creature roared at them, the gaping maw that was its mouth spilling forth a cloud of dirt and a sound that was more akin to nails of a chalkboard than anything else his mind could make sense of. It took everything within him not to curl into a ball and cover his ears but he managed it somehow and stepped back until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Nicole. Her weapon jerked within her hand as she pumped shot after shot into what passed for the things face. While she reloaded, he fired his own weapon. Not that it seemed to be doing more than slowing it down and pissing it off. If a pile of stones could even get pissed off.

Between muzzle flashes, Nicole realises that there is a new light building before them; a flickering glow of dark fire like boiling lava building between the cracks where the creature’s eyes would be and another glimpsed as within the gaping maw of its mouth as it roared at them once more.

“Move!” Nicole planted her hand on Xavier’s shoulder and shoved him aside as she threw herself the other way to escape the stream of fire and molten lava spewing forth from the creature’s mouth.

Yes, apparently, stones _could_ get pissed off!

The creature rumbled and lurched forward, its fists striking the ground between them so hard its body and the ground cracked. Eyes filled with a burning hatred turned towards Nicole and for one brief moment, she thought she saw Bunny Loblaw’s eyes staring back at her as its face twisted into some version of a smile that was feral and full of loathing.

The rictus grin cracked around the edges and filled with the same burning glow. It spread in a wave, following the paths between the stones it had been born from and spread outwards.

Growing.

Building!

“Xavier, run!”

Leaping to his feet, Xavier dodged the explosion of stone and lava that was between them and grabbed Nicole off the ground from where she had rolled and scrambled to escape the molten lava as it spread out in an ever-widening swathe that cut her, and now both of them, off from the safety of the stairs. “Hold on!” As he felt her grip tighten, he leapt once more and felt the blistering heat scorching the bottom of his shoes as he got them both back over the lava and onto the safety of the stairs.

Regaining her feet and equilibrium, Nicole patted Xavier’s shoulder in thanks for his quick thinking and looked back down at the room. The floor was covered in a still spreading, fiery pool that was rising and licking at the bottom step.

“Guys! Guys! What’s going on?” Jeremy called out urgently.

“The floor is lava,” Xavier deadpanned as they moved back up the stairs towards the kitchen.

“God, you’re lucky I don’t knock you back down the stairs for that,” Nicole groaned at his pun. His usually stoic, all-business expression dissolved under the weight of a smile that was all bright white teeth and a rich laugh of pure joy that had him instantly looking carefree and years younger.

The smile slipped, a wince tightening his lips as the momentary break from danger allowed him to feel the pain he was in.

“What’s— Ohh, shit!” Reaching for his jacket, she quickly opened it and helped him to peel it off as fast as she could without hurting him more than he already was. The fabric of the right sleeve was melted and smouldering in places from where he had obviously been splashed when the creature had exploded. Luckily it looked like his jacket had taken the brunt of it but his wince and the patches on the shirt he was wearing under it said some had gotten through so she ripped the sleeve clean off it to expose his arm and the damage wrought to his flesh.

“Is it still coming?”

Nicole looked around his broad shoulders and saw that the glow from the lava was gone and there were no ominous thuds of stone monsters stomping around. “All clear for now. Let me get a damp cloth and check your woo—”

“No,” he grabbed her forearm, stilling her before she could rush off. “We should just leave. I’m fine, Nicole.”

“ _This_ doesn’t look fine,” she argued with a pointed glance at his blistered and weeping flesh.

“It will be. And frankly, I would much rather be a little singed and out of here away from whatever that was as soon as possible… What in the hell was that anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole huffed. Keeping her head on a swivel for danger, she reloaded their weapons by touch alone as they walked through the house. She handed him his weapon back and watched as he tested out how it felt raising his arm to make sure he had the full range to use it. “At one point though I swear I saw Bunny looking back at me through its eyes.”

“You think _that_ was Bunny Loblaw?” He asked, disbelief tinging his voice. He trusted her opinion and what she said she saw but that sounded a little too weird even for a place like Purgatory.

“No,” Nicole shook her head as she thought back to what had been just a brief moment. “Not her exactly. Like, I don’t think that was actually Bunny. Maybe her powers though? She is a Stone witch. The last one we faced skewered Lonnie with a giant stalagmite right in the middle of the office so god knows what she can do. If she is capable of creating _that_ thing with her powers, it that does make me wonder why she needed the Banditos at all? ‘Cause lava monster sounds scarier than biker gang to me any day. Jeremy, can you bring the SUV closer?” Nicole tapped the mic in her ear. “Jer?”

“Agent Chetri?” Xavier tried for a more formal tone but there was no response from their friend and backup. “If he’s left his post to come and look at the lava—”

“Actually I would be more interested in checking out that slime,” Jeremy whispered from the side of the door. “But—” his voice was strangled off by Xavier’s fist yanking him forward and off his feet. “That’s not why I’m here,” he squeaked out past the sudden pressure on his windpipe that inexplicably didn’t let up even when Xavier did see that it was him and not some monster. “I saw something out here taking out cameras and couldn’t warn you! Radio down!” he squawked.

“Which is why you’re armed with a flower pot?” Nicole nodded to the pot that was dangling from his fingers but made no effort to get Xavier to put Jeremy down. He was perfectly capable of making his own mind up on that and with his hands in the way, she was less likely to replace them with her own if Jeremy really had been there for a stupid reason.

“I don’t like guns,” he defended himself as Xavier put his feet back on terra firma. “I’m aces at ‘Call of Duty’. We should run a campaign together! But real guns?” he shivered at the thought. “Even with Xavier’s help I just couldn’t pass the requirements to carry a firearm so I can’t be a frontline agent in the thick of things.”

“Strangely there’s no call for agents that scream and run away or throw their guns at perps instead of firing them,” Xavier stated dryly, the fond quirk of his mouth softening his words enough to let Jeremy know he was teasing him.

He trusted Jeremy but he was better suited and much more useful as their support. In that role, he had gotten him out of several tough situations because he was the one there keeping an eye on a mission and using his skills effectively.

“That cut-out target came from nowhere, dude!”

“And the instructor on the next try?”

“She was mean and made me jump on purpose.”

Nicole wasn’t quite sure what to say to that so she chose to ignore them and went to check outside. The rain had eased off to a light drizzle that allowed a sliver of the moon to shine through to light the area. Thankfully, whatever had taken out the rest of Jeremy’s cameras hadn’t lingered but Nicole was still eager to get out of there before anything else happened. Xavier was putting a brave face on it but she’d seen his shoulders drop and the way his mouth had tightened against the pain when he had been holding Jeremy aloft… He needed his wounds cleaning out so he could heal quicker.

“Erm, Nicole?”

“Hmm?” Nicole looked up from the giant footprint she was studying. Had the creature in the basement even had anything resembling feet? Dipping her fingers into the indentation in the mud, she took a cautious, instinctive sniff.

“Pretty sure I would have noticed if you’d had your hair cut, not like I’m a typical, oblivious man over things like that… was that rude? That sounded rude?”

“Focus, Jer,” Nicole ordered, pulling his ramble up short.

“Right! Focusing! What happened to your hair?”

Stripping off her gloves, Nicole ran her hands through her hair. A soft sigh left her as she felt the scorched ends close to her scalp where there should have been a hell of a lot more for her to run her fingers through. She’d smelt the harsh odour of burning hair when she had been rolling to escape the creature when it exploded but she hadn’t had a chance to check out the damage. But, given what it could have done if it had come into contact with her skin, the loss of some hair was a small price to pay… and also solved her dilemma as to if she should get it cut or let it grow out.

“Stupid lava monster. Hey, Jer… You think Waverly will like me with short hair?”

“Come on, this is Waverly. Purgatory’s resident sweetheart. You could shave it all off and she would love it and you just as much.”

“Yeah, probably. Really not in the mood to test that out though so let’s get out of here before anything else tries to scalp us.”

**********

The rain had long stopped by the time Nicole pulled up outside the station. Turning off the engine, she sat there a moment and let the blanket of silence covering the sleeping town seep into the car and envelope her. For such a small town, Purgatory never truly felt like it was silent but it was that sweet spot between night and day where the strip joints closed their doors for an hour or two, and the ranchers were still tucked up in their beds.

It would be nice, awesome even, if the bad guys could take the night off too so she could sleep in her bed at the same time as Waverly, but crime didn’t sleep and so neither could the good guys.

Rolling her eyes at the rambling of her own mind, Nicole climbed out of her car and breathed in the chill night air. Her breath puffed out in a thin white vapour that hung in the air as she tilted her head back and looked up at the moon. Like the ebb and flow of the tide pulled along by it, she could feel the tug of it calling to something she couldn’t do.

Sighing in frustration, she raked her hands through her lopsided hair. She really needed to get that fixed before Wynonna saw it or the Alpha would never let her live it down. She’d already threatened to do unspeakable things to Jeremy and even Xavier, but mostly Jeremy, if any photographs came to light.

“Hmm, maybe a pixie cut would work?”

Nicole was dragged out of her thoughts by the sight of Xavier’s SUV coming onto the parking lot with an angry expression furrowing Xavier’s brow and little more vigour than was usual for him. Which still made the sudden halt the vehicle came to beside her a thousand times smoother than when Wynonna was behind the wheel. She thought at first that he must have dropped Jeremy off somewhere but as soon as the SUV came to a stop, the passenger door opened and he tumbled out with a stuttered apology trailing behind him as he set off at a run towards the door into the building.

Sticking out a hand, Nicole stopped the passenger door swinging and looked through the open door cautiously. She bit her lip, desperately holding back a smirk at the sight of her friend sitting there with a liberal dusting of pistachio nuts all over his body. The steering wheel creaked alarmingly under the grip of his hands and Nicole felt sure that when he let go there would be permanent dents in it.

“You let him—” she held up her hands as his head turned sharply so he could glower at her.

“There was _no_ letting,” he growled. “That boy is like a goddamn squirrel with how he hoards shit in his pockets! Swear to god next time, I’m turning him upside down and shaking it all loose before I get in a vehicle with him! Upside down, Chetri!!” he bellowed towards the door where he could see Jeremy peeking back at them through a crack in the door.

“So,” Nicole coughed, trying to shake loose the laugh bubbling up to get her in trouble. “All this is because?”

“I don’t know,” he groaned thickly, thudding his head against the wheel. “Was just driving along and suddenly everything was a blur of salt and pistachios. I can tell you’re laughing, Haught.”

“Nuh-uh. No laughing here. Nope, not me,” Nicole chocked out. “Listen, why don’t you head on home and get that arm cleaned up. I just need to fill everyone on duty in on what happened and then I'm heading home. And I’d really prefer not to get held up filling in more paperwork if you kill Jeremy. It would just look _so_ bad on me and the Sheriff’s Department if you did it so close to my office.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Wynonna. But, I’m tired so I’m going to take you up on that offer,” he sighed gratefully.

**********

Jeremy waited with bated breath, counting off the sound of footsteps coming through the door into the station from where he was absolutely _not_ hiding behind the break room door.

“Pssst, Nicole!”

“You can come out, Jeremy, Xavier went home to lick his wounds… and the salt you threw over him with those nuts.”

“I didn’t mean too!” he moaned pitifully at her teasing reminder of what had happened.

“I know,” Nicole patted his thin shoulder understandingly. “Xavier knows it too. You just really need to work on not being so damn jumpy around people. Oh, and not eating in other peoples cars. My girls would make less of a mess with open jars of baby food on a rollercoaster.”

“That’s because they’re the most perfect and adorable blend of you and Waverly,” Jeremy smiled softly, his heart swelling with love at the thought of the little angels… which he guessed was an actual fact now and not just an expression. “Are we still on for a BGD soon? Robin’s been asking.”

“Just Robin, huh?” Nicole smiled at his eager expression. When the girls got old enough to realise how they were soft on them, they were going to have their Uncle Jeremy and Robin wrapped so tightly around their little fingers they would be able to get anything off them. “Yep, the bi-monthly Big Gay Dinner is still on… barring life or death emergencies.”

Nicole expected Jeremy to take the chance to head home or just retire to the BBD offices while she filled everyone there in on what had happened so they knew what to look out for, and that they needed to just get the hell out of the way if one of the creatures turned up. But when she turned back around safe in the knowledge that the information would be passed around quickly, he was still standing there with a slightly confused and thoughtful look on his face.

“Jer, you okay?” he jumped slightly under the touch of her hand on his shoulder and blinked up at her.

“Oh, yeah. Just thinking,” his voice trailed off as he drifted away in thought again.

“Come on,” nudging him into motion, Nicole steered him into her office and pushed him down into a seat. He was so lost in whatever was going on in his head that he took an instinctive gulp from the glass she placed in his hand before she could warn him that it was whiskey. Luckily it was barely even a mouthful with how he coughed and spluttered and looked at her through watering eyes as though she’d tried to kill him.

“Easy.”

“Easy?” he coughed around the burn on liquor spreading through his body. “That’s easy for you to say.”

“At least you didn’t spray my office down with it,” Nicole teased as she took her seat behind her desk once she was sure he was pretty much done choking.

Jeremy groaned at the reminder. “I thought I saw something when we were coming back,” he moaned. “I forgot I was eating, sucked in a breath and—” he waved his hands to mimic the explosive force with which the pistachios had sprayed out of his mouth. “Don’t!” he warned as Nicole’s lips started to twitch again.

“Sorry,” Nicole chuckled not in the least bit sorry. “What did you think you saw?”

“You believe me then?”

“That depends on if you’re trying to record me again,” she warned as his hand slipped into his pocket. “But yes, if you say you saw something I’m going to believe you. So, what was it, one of our stony friends?”

“No,” Jeremy mused. Sitting forward in the chair he looked at the floor between his ratty, mud-splattered boots. “That’s just it. I think it was what destroyed the rest of the cameras. I didn’t get a good look at it though but it was huge.” He looked up, half expecting to see disbelief in Nicole’s expressive eyes.

“It was Trickett.”

“What?!”

Fishing her gloves out of her pocket, Nicole held them out and then snatched them out of reach. “Do _not_ lick them or anything else that will have me tossing you in holding to rot just for the hell of it,” she warned as she put them back in his reach again and let him take them. “The mud is from a footprint at the scene and, even with my senses shot to hell, it smells familiar. No licking!!” she barked a reminder out as his tongue inched towards the glove.

“Sorry, instinct!” Diverting the glove under Nicole’s watchful gaze, he took a tentative sniff instead. “Yep, definitely smells the same. What was he doing there though? And why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Right now our goals are the same, we’re both after Bunny. While I don’t exactly approve of his stabby ways we need to be focussed on her and not chasing after a gnome that seems to be able to vanish in plain sight. And, I didn’t say anything sooner ‘cause, well, I had other things on my mind and didn’t put it together until it was too late,” she admitted sheepishly.

“The hair isn’t that bad, Nicky.”

“Never call me that again… and thanks for the reminder,” she huffed, her fingers finding the mangled hair by reflex. “Go on, get. I’ve got calls to make and then I’m heading home.”

“Oh, ‘ _Curl up and Dye’_ is closed for two weeks,” Jeremy called as he closed the door behind him.

Groaning, Nicole dropped her head down onto her desk. The one and only hair salon in town and they were shut just when she was having a hair crisis that _had_ to be kept out of Wynonna’s sight at all costs. “Of course it is!” she sighed.

**********

Waverly looked at the last text message off Nicole for what had to be the tenth time just in the last minute as she heard the sound of a familiar car engine coming along the road towards the house. She was sure that Nicole had intended for her message to be reassuring but, ‘Heading home, cutie. Don’t worry when you see me, I’m okay’ was in no way reassuring no matter how many hearts and kissy faces followed it.

The darkness outside was pushed aside by the sweeping beams of headlights as Nicole pulled her car up in its place beside her Jeep on the long drive, the brightness and sounds of the engine faded allowing the predawn darkness and silence to fall across the land again.

She could feel Nicole’s strange nervousness rushing away to make room for a crashing wave of love as she opened the door and stepped out into the porch. And while the love didn’t lessen, the nervousness crept back as Nicole stepped out of her car and pulled the toque she was wearing down around her ears.

“What did you do?”

“What?” Nicole giggled nervously and shuffled her weight from one foot to the other as Waverly narrowed her eyes at her and crossed her arms. “Okay… it’s not as bad as it looks! I swear!”

“Nicole—”

“It was just… something happened—”

“Nicole—”

“But it will grow again—”

“Nicole!”

“Yes, Waves?”

“Take the gosh-darned hat off.”

“Can we go inside first? I don’t trust your sister not to pop out from somewhere just to poke fun at me.”

“Now I know it’s bad. Fine,” she relented as Nicole gave her best pleading puppy expression that was all big, soft brown eyes and entirely unfair when she already had those dimples to use as a weapon.

The second the door closed behind them, Waverly reached up and plucked the toque right off of Nicole’s head. Instead of the usual spill of red locks, most of the back and one side came to an abrupt halt. Reaching out, she touched the ends and felt her heart stutter in her chest with the realisation that something had burnt it off.

“It’ll grow back.”

“That— that is the last thing on my mind, Nicole,” Waverly bit out a little more harshly than she intended. Cupping Nicole’s face between her hands, she closed her eyes as their foreheads touched. “Your hair is gorgeous but it’s not why I love you. This— it doesn’t matter. What matters is that something hot came damn close to your head, Nicole and I kind of like that right where it is.” Opening her eyes, she softly kissed the pillow of Nicole’s lips. “You’re right about one thing though, Wynonna would give you hell if she saw it.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I was hoping to get it fixed first thing but—”

“But, ‘ _Curl up and Dye’_ is shut.”

“Yep. Guess I’ll have to look for a place in the Big City but, man, getting my hair cut is more stress than I like at the best of times,” she sighed.

“I’ll do it for you.”

“You? You’ll do it?” Nicole laughed at the idea… until she saw that Waverly was apparently very serious. “Baby, it’s not just a trim, the whole thing is a complete mess.”

“And I can fix it,” she stated firmly as she marched determinedly towards the stairs. “Come on! Chrissy and I used to cut each other’s hair all the time when we were younger.”

“Two things with that... you were younger and I’ve yet to see a photograph where either of you has got anything less than long flowing locks!”

“Shush, the girls are still asleep,” Waverly admonished gently as she ushered Nicole into their bedroom. “We took classes and practised on friends and family.” She’s also used to cut Champ’s hair until he’s annoyed her with his cheating ways so much she’d threatened to shave every last bit of hair, including his eyebrows, off his head. After what Bunny’d had done to him, Champ was a subject she didn’t want to dwell on even less than usual.

“I could call some of them for references if you like but the main question is—” Stopping abruptly, Waverly spun around on her heel, forcing Nicole to come to a crashing halt before she barrelled over her. It left them with their bodies pressed intimately together. With all the determination she could muster, Waverly ignored the glorious sight of Nicole’s breasts heaving within the tight confines of her shirt and met eyes that were still wide from their near crash. “Nicole Rayleigh Haught, do you trust me?”

“Always,” Nicole answered without reservation.

“Then go take a quick shower and wash your hair while I get everything ready.”

Knowing when she was good and beat, Nicole stepped around the allure of Waverly’s body and headed for the bathroom. Even above the patter of water raining down upon her from the showerhead, she could hear Waverly humming and singing softly as she moved around the bedroom getting things ready for her.

Waverly gave everything one last look and nodded in satisfaction. Everything was ready, except for one thing. Quietly cracking open the bathroom door she breathed in the wafts of warm vanilla dipped doughnut scented steam that filled the room. Nicole was out of the shower, a pale blue towel wrapped around her body. On herself, it covered her barely to mid-thigh. On Nicole, the extra inches of her height made for a delightful difference that she was all too willing to enjoy as Nicole lifted her arms to lightly rub her hair with another towel and the one wrapped around her body rose with the motion to expose even more of her tantalising body.

“Ready when you are, Nicole.”

“Okay, let me get dressed.”

“Hmmm,” crossing the distance between them, Waverly dragged a finger across the perfect, sharp lines of Nicole’s collarbone and down over the swell of her breasts above the line of the towel she was suddenly feeling jealous of. Her finger came to a halt, hooked in the edge of the towel between Nicole’s breasts. A shapely eyebrow arched upwards to match the corners of her mouth and her brown eyes flashed knowingly. “How about you just leave the towel on, for now?” Waverly purred.

Chuckling, Nicole followed the enticing sway of Waverly’s hips as she let the way back into the bedroom and gestured for her to sit in one of the chairs she had brought up from its usual place at the kitchen table.

Nicole trusted Waverly with her life but she couldn’t help but admit to herself that she had been a little bit nervous by what her implicit trust was getting her into. The tools of the hairdressing trade laid out before her all seemed pretty impressive though. She didn’t say anything though, not with the way Waverly was daring her with a glance and a pointed SNICK of the wicked looking scissors in her hand to say something smart.

Nicole wasn’t a huge fan of the whole experience of going to the hairdressers. She found it difficult to put her trust in strangers enough to relax how she had seen some people do. For the most part, she’d kept her hair contained herself with braids and ponytails when she was constantly on the move and had made use of a salon only when it became a necessity so she didn’t have to endure the probing questions about her life and the rough handling of her hair.

Waverly was the first person she had trusted enough to let her lose with her hair. Only she had been allowed to brush it, braid it, or even wash it. Only Waves, and now the kids, could put her at ease by playing with her hair.

Scissors changed all that though…

Until Nicole found out that it didn’t.

From the first gentle brush of Waverly’s fingers, as she combed them through her abused hair, Nicole had to bite back a thick moan as she sank down into the hard chair and melted into Waverly’s touch and the feel of her body pressed close.

Her eyes fluttered shut as Waverly’s warm breath and soft lips brushed across her bare shoulder and teased across the edge of her ear.

“Ready, baby?” she smiled as Nicole let out a noise that was sinfully needy that she chose to take to be an affirmative.

Nicole felt as though she was drifting, lulled into a sense of peace by the gentle play of Waverly’s fingers through her hair that not even the buzz of clippers could break her out of.

Her breathing hitched and slowed, falling into the same rhythm of Waverly’s actions; the gentle but firm tug of her fingers lifting and holding her hair for the precise but drawn out snip of the scissors echoed through her on a visceral level she felt low in her abdomen and the brush of her breasts against her back and arms as she moved around and her legs as she straddled her own to get closer.

“Hold still,” Waverly ordered gently, huskily against Nicole’s ear. She tightened her fingers within the soft strands of Nicole’s hair to keep her place and ground herself as Nicole let out a needy moan she could feel vibrating through her body. She could feel the desire building through them both and while it was unexpected, it was by no means unwanted… she just hoped she could finish cutting Nicole’s hair before the urge to drag her to bed became too much to endure.

Nicole felt like she was drowning in a think, sensual haze that lapped through her as slow as molasses. It dragged her under, holding her captive and at the mercy of Waverly’s touch and scissors. She ached to rip them out of her hands and then rip the clothes right off of Waverly’s body. But one tender tug of Waverly’s fingers in her hair tilting her pliant head to go just where she wanted it, and Nicole melted and downed once more, putty in her hands.

Teeth sinking into her lip, Waverly slowly brushed the last stray bits of hair from the pale slope of Nicole’s strong shoulders. “There,” she breathed out. Nicole’s eye fluttered, her thick lashes slowly sweeping up to reveal the dazed, almost drugged on desire, look in her eyes that had the brown almost lost to the black of her blown pupils. “How does that look?”

“Beautiful. You look beautiful.”

“I meant your hair,” Waverly ducked her head shyly.

Nicole wanted to just sweep Waverly off to their bed but she looked at the result of what had been the most amazing and sensual haircut known to man. “Wow! Waves! I love it!” Tilting her head from side to side she ran her fingers through the bristly shortness of the hair at the back and sides and the longer strands on top that bounced and clung to Waverly’s fingers as they found their way back into her hair once more. “It’s amazing, baby. Thank you,” she smiled happily. “Do you like it?”

“Hmm,” purring happily, Waverly swung herself round and settled astride Nicole’s lap, her fingers buried greedily in her shorter red locks. “You look very… handsome,” she finished breathlessly, her mind already lost in the thought of how it would feel to have Nicole’s hair in her hands now when they made love with the shorter back and sides a rougher counterpoint to the tickle of the longer length on top. How it would feel beneath her hands while Nicole ate her out.

“Handsome huh?” Nicole smirked as Waverly’s hips canted forward, her spine writhing as she dragged her fingertips down her spine. Waverly’s hands grew busy, tugging at her hair and pawing at the edge of her towel to loosen it. “Do you need something, baby?”

“You,” Waverly moaned thickly. She couldn’t focus on anything when Nicole looked at her like that and got that tone in her voice as the gentle Alpha stirred and got a controlling bite to her tone simply because she knew her Omega desired it; craved it; needed it.

“Nuh-uh, I need more than that, baby girl. Use your words and tell me what you need? Do you want me to make love to you slow and gentle?” A soft whimper greeted the suggestion as Waverly’s voice failed her under the weight of her need. “Or,” Nicole whispered against the shell of Waverly’s ear, her tongue darting out to taste her flesh. “Do you want your Alpha to fuck you hard? Tell me what you need and it’s yours,” she teased as Waverly writhed and ground down upon her lap.

“Strap!” Waverly cried out desperately. “Please! Need! Take me! Fuck me with your strap!” The words once spoken released a floodgate within her of boldness and desire that had her yanking at Nicole’s towel and her own clothing more forcefully in an attempt to get them naked as quickly as possible. When that wasn’t working quickly enough for her liking, she tangled them in Nicole’s hair and pulled firmly at the longer parts to pull her head back. With the pale column of her throat and the exquisite, sharp line of her jaw exposed, she kissed and bit a trail along them and eat the fierce little growls and moans straight from the source.

Strong hands gripped the back of her thighs, supporting her as Nicole surged to her feet with a purred growl that shook a whimper from Waverly. She wrapped her legs around Nicole’s trim waist and clung on to Nicole’s shoulders, laying her head against them as her sure stride had her core pressing and rubbing against Nicole’s abs. “Please! Please! Need you! Need you now!” she begged, cinching her legs in tighter to pull Nicole with her as she lowered her down to the mattress. The weight of her pressed between her thighs made her arch into her, her body aching for more.

“You’ve got me, baby,” Nicole assured her as she pressed Waverly down into the mattress with her hips. “All of me. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - Kat at a con that she would like Nicole to have much shorter hair and my brain got caught up on the thought of her having the kind of cut that Captain Marvel has in the comics or one like K-Stew in the new Charlie's Angels trailer... which is how I would have mine if my hair didn't have the habit of going ridiculously curly an frizzy when it gets any kind of length on it...
> 
> Like Nicole in this, I don't like going the hairdressers. I hate mirrors and I don't want to talk with someone waving scissors around! Seriously! Focus on not cutting my ear off!
> 
> Anyway... Nicole got a haircut because of that snippet from a con :p
> 
> PS - Sorry about leaving the chapter right there, my smutting abilities suck right now.


	35. Chapter 35

Confusion and a beam of sunlight blazing across the bed right into her eyes greeted Waverly as she crawled slowly, reluctantly towards wakefulness. The problem of the sunbeam was dealt with by a minute adjustment of her head upon her pillow that took her out of its reach. But, even that smallest of movements was enough to make her aware of the multitude of tiny, delicious, aches and almost pains in every part of her body as she stretched them testingly.

For a moment, her still sleep-weary brain struggled to make sense of the little questions like ‘why was she in bed so late? Why was her body aching so much?’ but it was the ‘where is Nicole?’ and the still warm but empty space beside her in the bed that answered all the previous questions.

Rolling onto her back, she smiled as she gave a languid stretch that brought back all the aches and how she had gotten them; from the soft touches and lingering kisses, to the bite of teeth and nails, and the rougher grab of hands pulling her back to meet the pounding, body shaking thrust of Nicole’s body. It all came to the forefront of her mind along with the litany of grunts, moans and cries of pleasure that had fallen from their mouths and been ripped from their lungs until they had collapsed, too exhausted to move.

Waverly’s body twitched at the memories, a familiar ache and heat stirring to life between her thighs even as a childish giggle coming from the living room made her all too aware of the fact that being a responsible adult and mother meant she would have to wait to satiate her burgeoning desire.

“Adulting sucks,” she groaned as she rolled over and climbed shakily from the bed.

Every muscle in her body shook and quivered in protest as she made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower in an attempt to chase away the post-mind-blowing-sex haze clouding her brain. Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye before she made it that far and she stood there for a moment, her mind filling in all the delicious details as to how each and every mark and bruise there had been formed. Not surprisingly, most of them came with her voice demanding ‘more’ and ‘harder’ in one form or another. Demands that Nicole had been eager to fulfil.

They would fade quicker than bruises suffered by normal humans but slower than even much worse wounds on herself because they were formed at Nicole’s hands. It was the way between mates, that the one that loved you the most was the one that could leave a lasting mark and Waverly loved the reminder of both their passion and their deep love.

“Shower,” Waverly ordered herself as her eyes met her own in the mirror and she took in not only the desire burning in them but also the most horrendous case of bed hair she had ever seen in her life! And if that’s rats nest wasn’t taken care of, ‘hair for days’ would become ‘knots for life’ and she would have to have it cut as short as Nicole’s.

Her brain stuttered for a moment again, a smirk crossing the lips of her reflection. She had been right, oh so very right, about how it would feel beneath her hands and against her skin as her handsome, loving Alpha had taken her time and got her fill of her body. With the added advantage of not having to wait while hair was pulled back and secured out of the way.

The shower when she finally made it beneath the spray, was its own kind of torture as the water splashed, and the bodywash covered cloth glided over flesh and muscles made tender from use. Head tilted back, she moaned into the spray splashing against her upturned face as her hands slide across her breasts and down between her thighs.

Like a wolf lifting its head to scent the air, she felt a wave of interest and desire flare brightly across her connect with Nicole, making her all too aware that her love had no doubt been in on the state she was in from the moment she had woken. In retaliation for the humour lacing it, and her own inability to do anything without getting distracted, she cranked the shower over to cold motivate herself and in the hopes that it would cool Nicole down a little too.

Over the frigid spray and her own “WHOOP,” of shock, she heard a chuckle rising up from the living room and knew that Nicole had felt it too.

With her damp hair braided so it tumbled down over one shoulder and wearing the loosest clothing, she could find for her tender body, Waverly made her way downstairs. She knew that Nicole had been reluctant for them to return home with Bunny Loblaw still on the loose. But, even though she loved their home at the village just as she did this one, after a couple of days the fact that they were forced to hide there had made it feel more like a prison and she just hadn’t been able to stand it becoming that.

Nicole had taken a while to persuade but, with the aid of some of Waverly’s best debating skills and some serious pouting, she had finally seen reason, or Waverly’s idea of it anyway.

Waverly paused at the bottom of the stairs as the soft, domestic sight that awaited her. Smiling softly, she leaned her shoulder against the wall and wrapped her arms around her waist in a self-contained hug of delight.

Nicole was sitting on the floor with her back against the edge of the couch as she chatted to Dom, who was sitting on her with her back supported by Nicole’s raised knees. Their baby was chatting away, her arms waving wildly as she got whatever point she was making across. The other three girls were sitting on the couch behind Nicole’s head taking it in turns to run their hands through her newly cut hair, their little faces creasing with giggles and smiles at the feel of the buzzed areas tickling their palms.

“Seems like it’s a hit with the girls too.”

“Mhmm.” Raising her head, Nicole steadied Dom with one hand and cupped the back of Waverly’s head with the other as Waverly leaned down for a kiss. “Thought they were gonna have a fit when they saw it first thing.” She chuckled at the memory and the sight of Dom clinging to Waverly to move seamlessly into her arms to balance on her hip as she stood back up.

“You should be in bed.”

“The munchkins wouldn’t wait any longer,” Nicole smiled softly. “I _did_ try to wake you but you grumbled and smacked me across the face so I took the hint and got up,” she teased lightly.

“I did not!” Waverly gasped at the very idea.

“Mhmm,” hiding a wince at the ache in her body that had nothing to do with sitting on the hard floor, Nicole stood as gracefully as she could. Which, going by Waverly’s appreciative, if still slightly mortified expression, was still pretty darn smooth. Moving closer, she heard Waverly’s breathing quicken and hitch as their sides brushed and her breath teased across her ear. “Wonder what wore my sweet Omega out so much?”

“If you need your memory refreshing we could call Wynonna to babysit?”

“Call Wynonna to babysit this early in the day? Did you hit your head on the headboard, baby?”

“Idiot!” Laughing, Waverly swatted Nicole’s fingers away as they teased and probed at her head. “You’re right though, Wynonna would give us both hell—”

“And steal all our food.”

“Yep, that too. So I guess we’ll just have to wait for nap time and tonight,” smiling softly, she ran the tips of her fingers along Nicole’s jaw. Her smile grew into a grin as Dom leaned over and planted a loud kiss on Nicole’s cheek. “Until then though, you need to get that cute rear on up to bed. Doesn’t she baby?”

“Mama, sleep!” Dom agreed loudly.

“That’s right,” Waverly pressed a kiss to Dom’s fragrant cheek as her daughter cupped Nicole’s face between tiny, and no doubt sticky, hands and gave her an adorable, serious look.

“Outnumbered I see. Fine,” Nicole gently tickled Dom’s sides until she demanded to be let down between breathless gasps. “Gonna tuck me in?”

“Want me to fix you some hot milk too? Nicole!” She smacked Nicole on the shoulder, a blush stealing across her cheeks as hot, brown eyes dropped blatantly towards her breasts and Nicole gave her a hungry and thoroughly wolfish grin that had Waverly’s body heating up all over again in response.

“Go!” Giving her a push back in the direction of the stairs, Waverly stood there, her head cocked as she listened to the sounds of Nicole’s feet dragging across the floor as she shuffled towards their bed. The tiredness she’d been staving off using sheer stubborn Alpha willpower alone was obviously rushing up on her once it was in sight. The quiet rustle of covers sliding over Nicole’s body followed, along with a yawn and, less than a minute later, the softest of snores.

***********

As young and rambunctious as they were, their babies played quietly while she fixed them all some food. She was always hearing ‘horror’ stories for mothers young and old about how their children had ruled their lives. Mama had some spectacular stories to tell about Willa and Wynonna, and she knew that Alice and Michelle sometimes gave Wynonna and the boys a run for their money but, and she was probably biased, their babies were perfect with how caring and in tune with them they were.

“Do you want to play outside?” If they had been in their wolf forms, their ears would have perked up and their tails would have been wagging at the offer that had grins of anticipation spreading over their faces. “Come on then, let’s go see who’s coming to play today?”

“Is mama coming play too?”

“Mama’s sleeping, sweetie. Soon as she’s rested she’ll be right out to play with you though.” Dom’s smile drooped at the corners slightly but the lure of a fresh cookie and juice soon had her perking up again and she put her tiny hand within Waverly’s and tugged her outside.

Sitting on the porch, Waverly sipped at her drink as she watched them burning off some of their boundless energy with Bernie’s help. From where she sat, she could see the land sloping away to the trees they liked to run in. She didn’t need to see them to know what was going on within them, as she could smell and hear every rustle as birds and animals, and even the breeze, stirred the leaves and earth, as well as feel the more human… or pack and Yiska eyes trained upon the land and their house.

It was the one concession she’d had to give before Nicole would agree to them moving back, that they would have people guarding them, all of them. If it had just been herself she had to think of, Waverly would have protested but she wasn’t going to risk the kids.

Waverly smiled at the sight of three figures moving away from the shelter of the trees towards the house. She stayed silent though, watching the kids to see when they would realise that they weren’t alone. It was Kat that lifted her head first, a quizzical look crossing her face as she took a sniff of the air. Spinning around so fast she nearly tripped herself over, she let out a squeal of joy at the sight of Aden, Clarke and Lincoln that alerted the others.

“Wait,” Waverly ordered softly before they could all rush towards them.

Even with his young face set determinedly into serious, stoic lines that would have made Alexandria think she was looking into a mirror if she had seen her son, Waverly could tell he was just about fit to burst with pride at been allowed to escort Clarke along with Lincoln. His growing but still narrow chest was puffed out within the confines of his light armour but as they neared the house and the excited shouts of his name, the boy he still was came out in a bright grin and he looked to his mom for permission to break ranks.

While he crouched down for their exuberant hugs, Waverly greeted Clarke and Lincoln with hugs of her own.

Lincoln was something of a contradiction with the size and strength of his body combined with his training and abilities that said he could rip a body in half with his bare hands, compared to the softness of his heart. Hugging him was like hugging a teddy bear. A hugely muscular one, but a teddy bear nonetheless with how he enveloped her smaller frame and swept her up off her feet into his gentle embrace with a soft laugh.

“You’ll have to excuse his excitement, he had some good news earlier,” Clarke explained as she swatted his arm to get him to put their friend down so Waverly could catch her breath and so she could get her hug.

“Oh?”

“Octavia is expecting,” Lincoln stated with nervous pride as he scuffed at the ground with the toe of his boot.

Squealing in joy, Waverly grabbed him and pulled him into another hug. “I’m so happy for you, Linc! For both of you! How’s Octavia handling it?”

“Good,” he smiled, “she only threatened to kill me twice this morning.”

“Trust me, that’s an improvement,” Clarke smirked. “Octavia likes her routines and the little one, or ones, has already got her craving foods she does not like.”

“I will probably have to leave the country before the birth. But I will be a father!”

“Men, always so dramatic,” Waverly rolled her eyes at him playfully.

**********

While the girls played with Aden, their energy keeping even him on his toes and Lincoln watched over them with fondness, anticipation, and occasionally trepidation in his eyes, Waverly sat with Clarke on the porch. They talked about pretty much everything as they always did as Clarke’s quick mind challenged her own on a wide variety of topics.

Waverly quickly saw the pattern of it though; the occasional question of how she was feeling; if she had noticed anything new? Never put as bluntly as that but all testing to see if she had noticed anything new in herself that might hint as to if her powers were more Moon Witch or Angel in origin.

Waverly let Clarke ask what she wanted, let her questions challenge her in case they could shake any answers loose and fill things in for them. When it came down to it, Waverly just didn’t know. She didn’t feel any different in herself. Certainly nothing that screamed ‘I feel more angelic this morning’ or ‘I’m so much more witchy since I brushed my teeth’. She just felt like herself and not someone that was going to flip a car over with the wave of her pinkie finger.

Granted, she was a version of herself that was delightfully achy but that was all Nicole’s fault with her even more sexy short hair and intimate knowledge of the intimate things that drove her crazy for everything about her.

“Waverly,” Clarke’s voice was laced with gentle humour as she drew her friend’s attention to her. She placed her hand on top of Waverly’s where it was clutching at the edge of the step they were sitting upon. “You are seconds away from turning your porch into dust.”

“I— Oh!” Waverly sheepishly loosened her grip. “I— I have no idea what came over me,” she tried for innocence.

“I should think that would be the tall glass of someone with red hair asleep upstairs,” Clarke chuckled huskily at the light blush stealing across Waverly’s face. “Our loves do have a way of driving us to distraction sometimes,” she nodded in understanding. “Even after so many years with Alexandria the love still builds until I feel as though I will burst from it,” she sighed softly. “And then she gives me a look or those pouty lips of hers curve up onto that almost-smile that is brighter than most people grinning so much they show their teeth and all I want to do is drag her to bed.”

“Ma!” Aden moaned beseechingly.

“You are young but you will understand one day what it is like to be in love, Aden. Until then, stop listening in if it troubles you so much,” she smiled as Lincoln gave a hearty laugh and ruffled her son’s mop of rebellious hair.

“It feels like I’m permanently on the verge of going into heat when she’s around,” Waverly whispered at what she hoped was a volume more suitable to avoid young ears. It’s not that I didn’t want her or love her before but—” she waved her arms around.

“Love changes, Waverly,” Clarke patted her knee reassuringly. “For some, the first bloom of love steadies and evens off. For some, it fades away over time. And for others, it just keeps growing. That doesn’t mean that what you felt before wasn’t love, just that the roots have grown and strengthened. Anyone that is around you and Nicole can see how secure your love is for each other. How deep and strong the roots of it are.”

“She is amazing,” Waverly smiled softly as she basked in the familiar warmth and feeling of love swelling within her.

“You’re the amazing one.”

Waverly scrambled to her feet and launched herself into Nicole’s arms. Even though it had been only a scant couple of hours, it felt like coming home after a lifetime apart as Nicole’s scent and strong arms wrapped around her and their bodies slotted perfectly together. “You should be asleep,” she admonished gently.

“I was missing you too much.” Humming softly, Nicole sat on the step next to Clarke and tugged a very willing Waverly down onto her lap. She was bone-weary, her body still tingling and aching delightfully but sleep had alluded her after a couple of minutes and she had found herself laying there, napping for mere minutes at a time and waking missing Waverly and the kids more and more every time her eyes had opened to find the bed cold and empty beside her.

Sighing in satisfaction, she tuned out the conversation and chatter flowing around her and simply basked in the heat and scent of Waverly’s body as she nuzzled into the curve of her neck. Her fingers play idly, one hand running back and forth along Waverly’s hip and the top of her thigh while the other sat within the warm cradle of Waverly’s hands, their fingers entwined and caressed each other’s while Waverly and Clarke continue to talk.

“Your hair is looking good, Nicole.”

“Mhmm, Waverly trimmed it up good fer me,” she purred and nuzzled against Waverly’s neck as Clarke’s hand rubbed at the shortness of the buzzed length at the nape of her neck. “Jus’ wash an’ go now. Gives me more time for more important things.” Tilting her head back, she gave Waverly a wink that earned her a sharp nip of teeth to the crook of her neck as Waverly hid her face against her.

“Hmm, maybe you could persuade Alexandria to cut hers,” Clarke mused. “When she has to braid her hair for an important meeting it takes a team of three and a full day to get it ready. As you said, there are so _many_ more important things we could be doing with that time," she giggled lightly. Not that she didn’t enjoy the lushness of Alexandria’s hair, it was a stunning sight to behold braided or not, but it was definitely time-consuming to care for.

“Pretty sure I am too young to hear conversations like this!”

“No, Aden, you are too young to know that we’re not just talking about hairstyles. There is a difference.” He really wasn’t, but if he was going to blush she wasn’t above teasing him about it a little before he decided that the girls already starting to chase him around the village weren’t as icky as he tried to make out. And there were many; drawn by his good looks and his quiet ways as well as how he was starting to fill out his uniform and hold his own against more seasoned fighters during training. Clarke had also heard many heartfelt sighs and hearts a fluttering when he was seen caring for the babies, as he was right then. That was when he was being seen as a potential partner and no longer as a child himself.

As Clarke teased her son, Waverly grew increasingly aware of Nicole growing heavy against her, her hands slowing their movement upon her until just the tips of her fingers stirred. She turned gently in Nicole’s embrace as a soft, barely suppressed yawn sighed across her neck. Gently sliding a finger beneath Nicole’s chin, she tilted her heavy head up and just as gently swept her thumb across Nicole’s cheek as she murmured and blinked slowly back at her from eyes that were hazy and half shut.

“You need to lie back down, baby.” Waverly put a full stop on her words with a tap of her finger to the tip of Nicole’s nose that had her brown eyes crossing in an adorable attempt to focus on her digit.

“Don’ wanna. Miss ya too much,” Nicole slurred. More than missing her though, which she always did, she was worried that something would happen to them if she dared to close her eyes.

“Nothing will happen,” Waverly assured her as Nicole sleepily voiced the real reason she was trying to avoid sleep.

Nicole drew back and blinked at Waverly in shock. “How did ya—”

“You can rest, Nicole. Clarke, Lincoln and Aden are right here with us and the woods are full of our people making sure we stay safe.”

Easing out of Nicole’s arms, Waverly offered her Alpha her hands and pulled her up from the step she was slumped tiredly upon. “There we go. Now, come, you need to head back to bed.”

“Too far,” Nicole protested.

“The couch then—”

“Nuh-uh,” Nicole shook her head.

Pursing her lips at her stubbornness, Waverly seriously considered just throwing Nicole over her shoulder but, knowing Nicole, she would just follow her back out again. “Fine,” she relented, “how about you lie your stubborn butt down on the porch swing? Just rest your eyes for a while. You’ll be right here with us if anything happens. How does that sound?”

Waverly rolled her eyes at Clarke as Nicole studied the seat with an intensity the idea really didn’t need as she swayed and sleepily tried to pick apart the offer for any trickery.

“M'kay,” Nicole finally relented. “Jus’ ta rest ma eyes though.”

“Mhmm,” nodding her head in agreement, she guided Nicole over and gently pressed her down into the thick cushion on the long seat. Nicole’s head had barely even touched the cushion before she was fast asleep. “Stubborn Alpha,” she smiled as she pressed a kiss to Nicole’s temple and gently ruffled her hair.

“She takes too much onto her shoulders just like Alexandria does,” Clarke smiled softly down at the quietly snoring redhead as she handed a thin throw to Waverly for her to drape over Nicole’s shoulders and tuck in around her.

“Good thing they’ve got us to back them up, huh?”

“Indeed.”

**********

The alluring scent of food and a mischievous giggle pulled on Nicole’s senses, dragging her towards wakefulness. She wasn’t sure how long she had slept but she felt refreshed despite the cramped confines of her makeshift bed simply because she had been surrounded by her family. Even at their rowdiest, they had soothed her.

Cracking open her eyes just enough to get a peek, she found the source of the giggle. Melanie was perched upon her stomach wafting a perfectly cooked sweet potato fry under her nose. Every time it got close, she bit her lip and tensed in anticipation of the jump she was sure was coming.

Not wanting to disappoint her, Nicole waited until the perfect moment and snapped her teeth closed around the end of the fry. Melanie’s eyes shot wide and her body stiffened in delight as she reared up from the porch seat, catching her daughter securely within her arms as she tickled her until she was breathless but still begging for more.

Nicole met Waverly’s eyes as she sat down on the warm, varnished wooden boards of the porch and allowed herself to be swarmed over by their children. Her beautiful eyes were crinkled into half-moons by the brightness of her smile as she crouched down to ‘help’ her and got overrun by their girls too. With a careful roll and a deft wiggle, Nicole switched positions and gazed down at Waverly who was on her back under her.

“Hmm, this seems familiar,” she teased.

“I seem to remember there being fewer kids,” Waverly smiled back as Kat peered back at her over Nicole’s shoulder from where she was lying on her back. “And a few less adult eyes watching too,” she whispered in Nicole’s ear, drawing her attention to the fact that they still had visitors.

“Ugh, fine,” Nicole pouted good-naturedly. “Guess this can wait to be continued later then. Grab the monkey on my back for me will you?”

“Allow me—” Clarke scooped Kat up from Nicole’s back and into her arm, allowing the couple time to get up off the ground while she nuzzled into the sweetness of Kat’s neck. There was something addictive about the soft scent of any baby but there was something a little more so when it came to the wolves; they were very scent driven anyway but she found herself craving it more even with her own children and Alexandria. A soft noise from Waverly drew Clarke’s attention and she opened eyes she didn’t even realise she’s closed and lifted her nose from Kat’s neck to meet Waverly’s understanding and Nicole’s amused gazes. “What?”

“Hmm, how can I put this?” Nicole tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Aden, cover your ears!” Waverly called over her shoulder.

“Again!?” he groaned, pulling an exaggerated face to pull a giggle from Jas as he stuck his fingers in his ears.

Getting a giggle and a look that said she would explain later off Waverly, Nicole shrugged off their strange behaviour and turned her attention back to Clarke. “Your mothering instinct is always high but it feels off the charts. And, well, I’m not sure how it works for a Wood Nymph but, if you were a wolf I would say you were heading into heat and craving a baby from it.”

Nicole watched as the instinctive denial barely had time to widen Clarke’s blue eyes and cause her lips to part before it died and her eyes widened and softened for a completely different reason… One that had her smiling and nuzzling into Kat’s scent again.

“Maybe you’re right,” Clarke admitted at the realisation that just the thought of carrying another baby made her yearn for one… and also all the ways that went into creating one. Putting Kat on the ground, she watched as the little one raced off to watch with the others as Aden created a pattern with flowers amongst the grass for them all to chase. “With all the conflicts our kind has been embroiled in, settling down, having a family, that had all been parts of our lives we have put on hold… willingly, but on hold nonetheless. Even with two little ones at home I sometimes ache for more now we are settled and amongst family.” She smiled at them, letting them know that they were most definitely included in the latter.

“If it helps in any way, you can babysit for us when our little one is born,” Lincoln offered. “It would save me having to explain to Raven for the millionth time that explosives aren’t a suitable gift for a baby.”

“It kind of disturbs me that we all keep having to remind Raven of that perfectly rational thing,” Nicole grumbled under her breath. “And Lincoln! A baby?! Congratulations!” She smiled as his muscular chest puffed up with pride and a beaming smile brightened his face.

“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve already told Linc to tell Octavia that our beds are off-limits for nesting when the time comes.”

“She will be disappointed,” Lincoln teased, “Raven and Wynonna bet her she wouldn’t dare try it. There was good money on the table and according to O, it would be a good investment. Wynonna also told her it would bring her good luck too.”

“I’m going to beat both their asses,” Nicole groaned. “Especially Wynonna’s! You just know she’s been spreading that around! We’ll have people lining up to give birth all over the place!” Nicole bellowed over her shoulder as the sound of her phone ringing drew her back to the house. “Anya would beat my ass if I hurt Raven but Wynonna? Ohhhh, her ass is mine! And you can tell your sister her ass is no longer top shelf! It is so far off being top shelf it isn’t even worthy of the bottom shelf! Bargain bin! That’s what it is! A bargain bin ass!”

Waverly shared a look with the others, apart from Aden who was studiously entertaining the babies and keeping well away from any conversation that involved the status of Wynonna’s ass. Nicole was right, Wynonna was just the right amount of a shit-ticket to be spreading rumours about their home being good luck to give birth in, and that was terrible and deserving of a beating or two. But she couldn’t help but burst out into laughter with the others at Nicole’s exaggerated huffing as she stormed off with Dom hot on her heels and the thought of people lining up to give birth in their bed.

Gathering up the array of empty plates and glasses that had accumulated on the porch, Waverly glanced back at the babies to make sure they were behaving and hadn’t run wild on Aden and made her way inside. She’d expected Nicole to have gone further into the house to take her call but she was there in the kitchen with Dom sitting on the table beside her as they shared a plate of sweet potato fries while Nicole took her call. With practiced ease, and a great deal of unnecessary sexiness, especially with how her sleeves were rolled up to expose her strong forearms, she juggled both tasks while leaving Waverly suddenly incapable of doing anything other than leaning against the wall with crockery clutched to her breasts like some cliché southern belle suffering from a fit of the vapours as she enjoyed the sight.

Still keeping control of Dom and the call; still doing both sexily, Nicole turned just enough to give her a smile and a knowing quirk of her eyebrow that set Waverly’s pulse pounding through her body.

“Okay, we’ll be there later, Gretta. Bye.” Hanging up the call, Nicole pocketed her phone. “They’ve found some of the notes about Trickett,” she explained.

Waverly would usually have been intrigued by the call and grilled Nicole for every little detail, but Nicole was still doing unnecessarily sexy things.

Things like picking Dom up in her strong arms and walking towards her, her hips and the muscles in her thighs flexing and moving enticingly with every step that seemed to be in slow motion with a sexy backing track that even played when she took the dishes from her hands and placed them to one side.

Things like standing right there before her, so close that Waverly could feel the heat radiating off her body and the pressure in the air between them as they breathed.

Things like running her hand slowly up her arm, her fingers skimming and fluttering against the baby-fine hairs that rose in anticipation of her touch. And then there was that ridiculously sexy way Nicole brushed the tip of her nose down hers. Always checking for consent.

Mindful of Dom balanced upon Nicole’s hip, Waverly restrained herself from grabbing Nicole roughly and settled for cupping the back of her neck as Nicole slowly dipped her head so that their lips were barely brushing. Again, it was unnecessarily sexy how she could make such a light contact feel so earth-shattering and panty ruining and Waverly showed her appreciation by lightly scratching her nails over the nape of Nicole’s neck and swallowing the breathy moan it elicited.

Their lips broke apart, laughter filling the space between them and the room as Dom took advantage of the situation and planted loud kisses against their cheeks with unrestrained glee.

They kissed her back, covering the downy softness of her cheeks with kisses that had her giggling and basking in their attention.

“Do you ever think of having more?” Waverly asked quietly, leaning back against the curve of Nicole’s body as Dom finally made her way back outside to play. The sudden stillness in Nicole’s body and the unease in her thoughts had her turning in Nicole’s embrace to see what was troubling her. “I don’t mean right now? We did say we would wait—”

“Hey. It’s not that. Never that,” Nicole rushed to assure Waverly before she could get too worked up at what she was obviously thinking was a rejection.

“Then what?”

“It—” sighing, Nicole ran a restless hand over her head. “I know all the things you’re going to say when I say this. God knows I’ve said it all to myself already but… I’m worried that I can’t get you pregnant anymore. Please,” she placed a finger gently over Waverly’s lips to still any words, “if I don’t get this out now I might never.”

“Okay.”

“I want more kids with you, that is something you should never doubt. That,” she blushed slightly as she always did when it came to what she sometimes thought of as her strange biology even though it was perfectly normal and had resulted in four amazing children, “being able to do that… I’m not sure how much of it is linked to being a Wolf. I don’t know… maybe I can’t go into rut—” her voice trailed off and faded away as tears rushed up to sting her eyes.

“I thought of getting it all checked out again but I chickened out. Didn’t much enjoy the whole experience the first time but doing it with how I was poked and prodded and made to feel like a test subject. Going back now, it feels like admitting that I’ll never be able to change again.”

“Oh, Nicole.” Waverly gently wrapped Nicole up in her arms, holding her just as tightly as she needed, as they both needed as tears flowed silently from Nicole’s eyes and splashed against her shoulder. “No matter what, we’re in this together. You know that, right?”

Nicole’s head bobbed up and down against her in agreement.

“Everything will be okay. And when, if, you decide you want a doctor to check you out I’ll be right there with you too. I would love to have more kids with you but if we can’t for whatever reason… Nicole, we have four beautiful girls. Four rambunctious girls,” she amended as they heard their excited squeals coming from outside. “Nothing is going to change between us. Nothing could ever make me love you less with what we have already been blessed with. Until you feel like you need to know more though, think of all the practising we can do.”

Nicole gave a wet chuckle and relaxed against her with a sigh as her breathing evened out.

“You _really_ need to stop bottling everything up,” she admonished her with gentle understanding knowing that if their roles had been reversed she would have been having the same fears, if not worse, running through her head.

“I know,” Nicole sighed. “Could you just hold me a bit longer, ‘kay?”

“Always.”

**********

“Let me get this straight, no pun intended, Gretta didn’t say what they’d found out?”

“For the tenth time, Wynonna, no, she didn’t.”

“I thought you were Sheriff, not some rookie flatfoot. Questions Haughtshot, you’re allowed to ask them,” Wynonna snorted.

“Do you want to walk the rest of the way?” Waverly asked as Nicole’s hands tightened upon the steering wheel with a creak that was only just louder than the grinding of her teeth. “’Cause I will tear down this partition and kick you out through the window myself.”

“Chill, babygirl! Jeez, no need to get violent.”

“Please don’t destroy my car, Waves. Nedley threatened to take away the rest of the vehicles and leave us with extra insoles for our boots after Bunny sideswiped the last one. And that was _after_ he was literally in tears of relief that everyone was okay.”

“Fine, no vehicular destruction.”

“And you need to calm down, Wynonna or I’ll leave you in the car with the windows up,” Nicole warned with a pointed glare as the Alpha sniggered away in the backseat.

“Can’t I’ll just open the door,” Wynonna pointed out as she gave the back of Waverly’s seat a nudge.

“Wynonna, the doors don’t open from the inside. It’s a safety feature. Haven’t you been arrested, like, at least five-hundred times?! You should be able to remember that.”

“Usually I just took the time to grab a nap,” Wynonna shrugged. “Anyway, are we there yet?” She grinned and sat back in satisfaction at Nicole’s groan.

Teasing them only worked to take her mind off things for so long though and it wasn’t long before she was fidgeting and staring between the trees flicking past the window and deep into the dappled darkness beyond. She wanted to take action… more than just the kind that involved looking at dusty papers, that was more Waverly’s speed.

What Wynonna craved was the chance to run. To chase down Bunny Loblaw and sink her teeth into her rotten heart for all she had done to her pack. And she couldn’t understand why Nicole wasn’t voicing the same desire… which she could admit to herself, was probably why she was behaving like a petulant child. She wanted, needed, to rile Nicole up and get her to show her teeth and frustration. Even if it was at her.

Doc and Xavier were her mates and were very fine Alpha’s in their own right, but, it was Nicole she saw as her right hand… not that she would ever admit it. Nicole was stronger than them, stronger than all of them, and she was the only Alpha that Wynonna could see herself willingly, mostly willingly, following if she ever had to step down.

She was good and kind, and ridiculously fair, and she loved her family with every beat of her heart.

“You’ve gone quiet, Earp. Too quiet. I don’t like it.”

Wynonna smirked in quiet satisfaction as Nicole looked at her nervously through the rear-view mirror. Yep, getting a reaction, even a small one, out of Haughtstuff was very satisfying. Even if it did mean that when they pulled up outside of the Pearly home, Nicole stood there for the longest time imaginable adjusting her sleeves while she sat there twiddling her thumbs like a child waiting for her to open the door and let her out.

“Ass!”

Rolling her eyes, Waverly poked Nicole in the side before she could retaliate beyond the smirk that was twitching her lips and the twinkle in her brown eyes. “Behave. Both of you.”

“Fine,” Wynonna grumbled quietly. Her eyes were drawn across to the house, more specifically to a tiny flame dancing in one of the windows. “Is that—”

“Maeve? Probably. Don’t worry though, she can’t take you over, not for long anyway. But Gretta says she’s been on her best behaviour since they started working the forge together.”

“She better be. Singed fur is a bitch. But you know that already, don’t cha, Red?” Chuckling, she ruffled her hand through Nicole’s short locks. Xavier was still in the doghouse for failing to provide pictures of the ‘after lava monster’ do, but not literally in the doghouse due to his singed arm. One way or another, Bunny would pay for that too!

The door swung open before they reached it and Wynonna followed Waverly and Nicole inside. From what Waverly had told her, she’d expected to see the place looking just as unkempt but it seemed that Gretta had cleaned up and taken down the research/murder walls and the room was light and welcoming with plenty of places set aside for the dancing flame that was Maeve to move around on.

Wynonna had thought she had composed herself for whatever might come but she couldn’t help but jump more than she would have liked as said Maeve flame flickered on a candle beside her. What was the proper etiquette for talking with a ghostly teenage witch flame? For all she knew, she could be looking at the back of her head or even her boobs!

“Ehh, hi?!” She looked at the hand she had instinctively held out and gave an awkward wave before letting it drop back to her side.

“Oh, I like this one!”

Wynonna spun around in a tight circle as a voice that held more than a hint of crack and pop, like flames upon dry kindling came not from the candle but from the hearth as a fire burst into life there.

“Stop teasing, Maeve,” Gretta admonished gently. “Wynonna, you’ll have to excuse her, she’s still learning how to play well with others.”

“At least she hadn’t tried to possess me—”

“Yet.”

“Maeve!”

“I’m sorry,” Maeve laughed lightly. “She just looks so tense I couldn’t resist. I have learned that you wolves are far too tough for my tastes… and even if you weren’t I am a reformed character and happy where I am.”

Wynonna grinned at the eye roll she could hear if not see in the crackling of the teenage voice. “I like this one too.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, not in the least bit surprised at that development. Wynonna and Maeve both had a fiery temperament and a sassy streak a mile wide, they were either going to strike sparks off each other or get along like a house on fire.

“Come, let me show you what we found.”

Stifling her giggle, Waverly nudged Nicole slightly, drawing her attention to Wynonna who was watching Maeve’s flame dancing from point to point from the fireplace to the kitchen with all the intensity of a cat watching a bird flitting out of reach through a window. Luckily, Wynonna was distracted by the offer of a drink of whiskey before she got the urge to pounce and got her paws burned.

“I’ll take Nicole’s too seein’ as the lightweight can’t handle it any more.”

“Maybe it’ll quieten you down on the way home… if I let you back in the car that is.”

“With how you drive I could beat you home on four paws anyway, grandma,” Wynonna smirked at her verbal burn around the brim of the glass full of whisked that burned a trail down her throat with every loud slurp that had Nicole’s eyes narrowing slightly more with each exaggerated sound.

Waverly ignored them both, knowing that Wynonna was just trying to get a rise out of Nicole, and knowing that Nicole wouldn’t give her exactly what she needed. Though, she had the feeling that Wynonna might just get to test out her speed against Nicole’s driving if she pushed any further. While they traded narrow-eyed glares and smirks, she watched as Gretta filled the small kitchen table with sheaths of paper filled with tightly packed lines of writing so small it looked impossible to make out with the naked eye as they snaked across the pages in a tangled scrawl that crossed over itself multiple times.

“My mother had a unique way of making notes,” Gretta grimaced slightly as she put a page down and turned it around to try and work out which was the right way up.

“Above all of the Blacksmiths I knew, she was the best at making puzzle boxes that defied logic,” Maeve smiled fondly and with pride the best way she could with a bright burst of her flame. “She wrote the same way, sprawling her words over pages so each one was a tiny part of a much bigger piece that could only be read with them placed precisely.”

Waverly leaned closer to the pages, checking what she was seeing before stepping back and viewing them as a whole. “Oh, wow!” Stepping back, she gave a piece of paper stacked seemingly haphazardly upon several more a fraction of a turn clockwise. The writing on the pages suddenly flashed with a golden light that spread out from the centre in a rippling wave as the pages flattened and locked together. “Oh! Wow!” A nudge of the page she had turned saw the pages separating. “That— How?”

“The ink she used is not ink as you know it. It was one she created herself.”

“Forged by her as it were,” Maeve chuckled softly.

“As Maeve said, she liked her puzzles.”

“And this is what she figured out for Trickett?”

Nicole staggered back slightly from the table, her hand raised to rub at her temple.

“I forgot her trickery! Don’t try to read it!”

“What the hell, Gretta!” Grabbing Nicole by the arm, Waverly supported her as she turned her away from the papers.

“I forgot too,” Gretta apologised. “I— we,” she gestured to Maeve’s flame, “we’re her blood and as such we can read it with no problems.”

“But—” Waverly tilted her head in confusion. “I read some of it to and nothing happened.”

“There is magic, strong magic within you, Waverly. Wolf, Angel and Moon Witch… Moon Witch with active powers,” Gretta amended as Wynonna lifted her head from where it had been hanging between her knees while she had recovered from her own attempt to read the papers, no doubt with the intention of pointing out that they had the same mother. “Power enough to make the spell contained within the ink be more forgiving of the fact that you aren’t family.”

“I wish I knew more about those powers,” Waverly sighed. “It’s like everything about that in our family was lost so long ago it became just a story. Mama only heard anything about it through her mother but for some reason, she never shared any of the stories with Aunt Gus. What even can a Moon Witch do?” she huffed in frustration.

“We are still looking into it. There are things that all Witches can do but the moon controls many things, Waverly. The tides are swayed by the pull of it, so water is part of your power.”

“There ya go, babygirl, next time the Shorty’s basement floods in a storm you’ll be able to go all Moses and part the floodwaters.”

“You scoff, Alpha, but she very likely could. And there are many things; creatures and plants, that answer the call of the moon. And doesn’t your kind lift their heads and sing of her glory?”

“That sounds too powerful to me,” Waverly frowned. “I don’t want that kind of power! I don’t want that kind of control of anything!”

“The power is within you, Waverly. That is simply a fact that can’t be changed. And now they’re active, it is safer for you and everyone around you not to contain it. We will teach you how to control it safely if that is what you would like. What you do with it after that is up to you.” Gretta crouched down at Waverly’s feet, meeting her lowered gaze as Nicole pressed her gently down into a chair. “Having this power won’t make you a bad person, Waverly Earp. Bad people like Constance and Bunny abuse power but you are _good._ Beyond good!”

“Babygirl is the best of us,” Wynonna smiled proudly.

“You must be to put up with all the Alpha posturing,” Gretta winked.

Lifting her head, Waverly looked back and sought Nicole’s eyes for strength and reassurance and found it in the loving smile upon her plump lips and shining from her warm brown eyes. “This is all a bit much to take in right now,” Waverly sighed, leaning her cheek against Nicole’s hand upon her shoulder. “Could we focus upon Trickett right now and get back to all _that_ some other time?”

“Of course. Just don’t forget, if you have any questions, Maeve and I are here to help.”

“Thank you. Both of you,” she smiled towards Maeve’s gently flickering flame. “Now, what did you find out from all this?” she turned her attention back to the papers before them and gave the paper she had moved a little turn back that had them slotting back together again.

“There is a lot here,” Gretta traced the spiralling path of the writing. “Some of it definitely not necessary.”

“Her mind wandered and she wrote down a shopping list in the middle,” Maeve chuckled.

“Yep,” Gretta rolled her eyes. “The instructions for a potion to soak a charm in suddenly turned into a recipe for French onion soup.”

“Gretta did not realise until it came to the Gruyere,” Maeve whispered overly loudly.

“It was an honest mistake!” she blushed.

“Does this mean we’ll have to be careful around babygirl’s cooking from now on?”

“Earp. You know full well, if Waverly made something that could turn you into a flying monkey you would still eat it and go back for seconds. Wait, could you turn her into a flying monkey?”

“Why would I want to turn her into a flying monkey?” Waverly blinked in confusion at the sudden direction of the conversation.

“It could be cute.”

“But, it would be a monkey that could fly… _Wynonna_ as a monkey that could fly? Doesn’t she get into enough already?”

Nicole took a breath and lifted a finger, ready to put forward her case for flying monkeys… and promptly deflated when a million scenarios of what Wynonna could get up to as a monkey with or without wings popped into her head. “Point taken,” she grimaced.

“How do you put up with them?” Maeve questioned.

“As Alpha’s go, they’re not that bad,” Waverly shrugged. “Helps that I know they really love each other.”

“Hey now! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold your horses, sis!”

“Mhhh!”

“So, once you got past the soup recipe… what did you find out?”

“According to this. My mom figured that the spell that was placed upon the gnomes keeps them trapped upon the land where the spell was cast and stops them from being together at the same time.”

“But… we’ve seen Trickett being all stabby-stabby all over the place?”

“I have never tested it out for obvious reasons, but it is believed that if I left this land, even in a willing host, and something happened that snuffed out my flame, I would return right to this place,” Maeve pointed out. “Trickett could be under a similar enchantment. He can roam far and wide, but at a certain point he will be snapped right back to where he was from.”

“And Monique?”

“There are things that can be done that could keep them from finding each other and, in theory, keep her from returning to where Trickett is.”

“Like… death?”

“Yes, there is that unfortunate possibility,” Gretta allowed.

“Maybe her place of enchantment just isn’t with him? What? We both spelt his breath, Haught, would you want to be anywhere near that?”

“As someone that can breathe and as a lesbian… Trickett is so not my type.”

“Oh, like you never went through an experimental phase.”

“Not with gnomes!”

“That’s very narrow-minded, Nicole! Love is love!”

“Dracula!!”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Well, not Dracula himself… Is there even a Dracula? Never mind,” Waverly waved their confusion aside. “In several texts I’ve studied and in some popular movies, the Vampires had to sleep in dirt from the graves they were originally buried in, right? They were confined to the land just as Trickett and Monique were. But! They got around it. Again, in the texts and movie, no idea how real Vampires do things! Anyway! In Bram Stoker’s version, Dracula travelled aboard the _Demeter_ with fifty boxes of Transylvanian dirt so he could move around.”

“You think a fictional book about Vampires—”

“Books are important, Wynonna!” Waverly snapped at her sister. “How many of our friends are beings that were considered to be just myth? How many more are there out there whose stories have only been told because someone heard something and thought it would make a good story?”

Wynonna drew back in her chair, her eyes flying from Nicole to Greta and even to Maeve’s flame for help that was not coming.

“We killed a demon that was worshipped as a god! My father is a literal angel! Seriously, Wynonna, if everything we’ve done was written down we would be thought of as just a story that would probably even up as some show on _Syfy_ and end up with fanfiction written about us!”

“What?”

“I’m not saying there is a real Dracula. There could be, but that’s not what I was getting at. What I am wondering, is if there is something in what I read that could explain what’s happened to Monique that could help us beyond his bad breath or the really horrible and all too real possibility that Bunny, one of her ancestors or some random shit-ticket killed his wife!”

“I’m sorry, Waves,” Wynonna whined in soft apology.

“We can’t let Bunny win, Wynonna and so far, she is winning. Trickett, Monique, us! We’re all trapped awaiting to see what she does next.”

“Hey,” kneeling before her, Nicole gently brushed aside the tears of sorrow and anger mingled together that glistened upon her lashes. “We won’t let her win, Waves. Heroes always win, remember.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. We’re in this together and together we’re going to kick her ass.”

“You two have got to stop bickering then,” she gestured between Nicole and Wynonna.

“I can do that,” Nicole nodded.

“Hold on! All the tears. Is this just a ploy to get us to play nice?” The glare Waverly threw at her sent Wynonna scuttling back. “Fine! Yep! I can be nice… for now,” she smirked softly to herself behind Waverly’s back.

“Wolf hearing, dummy!”

Pouting, Wynonna retook her seat and shuffled closer to Waverly until their shoulders bumped together.

“Don’t try that pitiful, hangdog look with me, Wynonna,” she warned without even looking to see what she knew would be there. “Anyway, what do you think, Gretta?”

“Erm? Oh! Right!” Gretta ran through everything Waverly had said, the important stuff anyway. “I would have to check but, yeah. If they are tied to the land, removing a piece of the land could be enough to help trap her to another area with the right kind of spell to confine her further, and even to hide her from Trickett’s sight.”

“She could be anywhere,” Nicole frowned. “Monique was taken before Bunny’s time so she might not even know where she was hidden. We’ll look into all the Loblaw properties though, even those owned by them in the past.”

“How do we free them from the enchantment when we find them?”

“Ma figured out a couple of ways that could help,” Gretta traced her finger over a knot of sentences that flowed around each other. But— this area,” she tapped a flowery shape, “this mentions this,” she handed an old photograph to Waverly. “Took ages to find it as it was tucked up in a beam but… see that gaudy-ass necklace on Monique?” She gestured to the area in the photograph but refused to touch it… and she saw that Waverly’s fingers refused to go near the area. “You can feel it too, can’t you? The spell working even through an old photograph.”

“Yes.”

Gretta shivered as Waverly lifted her head and she saw her eyes radiating with the gentle glow of the moon. Her own powers were not tied to the moon, but even she felt a primitive part of her react to it.

“That is the item that binds them both as stone. If you ask Trickett about it I am pretty certain that he won’t remember it or even be able to see it if you showed him the photo. When she is stone, it is too.”

“So we need to find her, wait until she’s walking around… hopefully not in a stabby mood, and destroy it?”

“It can’t be destroyed, Wynonna.”

“That’s what they said about Bulshar’s ring,” Wynonna pointed out. “Pretty sure Red there turned it to dust.”

“True. What I meant though, was that if it is destroyed it will either kill Trickett and Monique or they will be stone forever.”

“Then?”

“Ma found a way she thought would work. Sort of,” she admitted. “She drew up the plans for a locket that attaches to the necklace that will… well…”

“Will what?” Waverly asked nervously, feeling the creak of the other shoe about to drop.

“The locket will allow for it to be placed around someone else’s neck and then they will take their place as stone forever.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure why, but apparently, my Wynonna muse decided she needed to poke the bear... or tease Nicole anyway. They do love each other but Wolfy-Wynonna is just a little shit sometimes.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - Shorter chapter while my muses are trying to pull the story in 10 different directions o.O

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Of course.” Smiling down softly at the woman in her arms, Nicole dipped her head slowly, letting Waverly anticipate the contact of their lips, before diverting and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose instead. The tease elicited the slightest of huffs from Waverly that teased across the base of her throat, and a playful, narrow-eyed glare as Nicole stepped back to put a little space between their bodies if not their hands as they remained linked together. Her body missed the warmth and contact between them the moment she did so but she knew that if she didn’t, she would never let her go. “Go on, do what you need to. I’ll be right here when you and ‘Nonna get done.” Giving Waverly’s fingers one last squeeze, she let their hands part. “Just—”

“Be safe?” Waverly finished for her with a bright smile curling her lips at Nicole’s pout for the interruption. “That goes double for you too,” she stated firmly, her eyes and fingers tracing over the much-loved lines of Nicole’s gorgeous face. Her touch skimmed across the beauty mark beneath her eye and the barely-there scars that curved across her cheekbone and up to her temple as the light from the moon lit them for her touch.

“Have you got the locket safe?”

Waverly patted her pocket where the intricate locket Gretta’s mother had designed and started, and Gretta and Maeve had finished together, was tucked safely away. They had wanted to create more so that everyone would have one to use so that everything wasn’t reliant on just one person but there were elements to it that would take months to replicate just to make one more of them.

“Just shout out if you need us and we’ll be there before you know it,” Nicole jerked her chin up slightly, gesturing to where her partner for the night, Valdez, was talking to Wynonna. Actually, it was more like, the typically stoic, silent and very deadly immortal Mayan, warrior-princess was being talked at by Wynonna. No doubt being a nosey Alpha and listening in, Wynonna’s head tilted as though she had heard a dog whistle calling for her and turned her intense blue eyes their way.

“Yeah, you just better not drive off without me this time,” Wynonna narrowed her eyes in warning, gesturing at Nicole to say she was watching her.

“Earp!” Nicole fake gasped as though wounded by the suggestion of any wrongdoing as she struggled to hold back the laughter threatening to bubble up at the memory of Wynonna’s comical expression of utter disbelief when she had driven away from the Perley’s, leaving her in their dust.

Waverly had threatened to make her sleep with the horses for that, but it had been worth it.

“My understanding was that you wanted to prove you were _faster_ than my, how was it you put it?” she tapped her chin in mock thought. “My _grandma_ driving speed? Which, by the way, you weren’t.” Nicole smirked to herself as Wynonna stomped away grumbling under her breath but a disapproving look from Waverly had her shoulders coming up around her ears. She whined slightly, begging for forgiveness but Waverly was suitably unimpressed and rolled her eyes as she turned to walk away… before she darted back and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

Valdez glanced at Nicole, confusion furrowing her brow as the redhead leaned back against the side of the red Jeep as Waverly and Wynonna walked away from them. Their only source of light was from the moon above to avoid their presence attracting attention or inadvertently blinding Waverly or Wynonna. The lack of light amplified the stillness in the air around them and made the distant scream of a lone owl on the hunt that broke the silence that lay ahead over the dying land owned by the Gibson’s, even more plaintive and eerie.

“You are not going with them?” Valdez knew the answer already as they had gone over the plan before driving there, but she felt the need to check once more if only to break the silence around them as Waverly and Wynonna seamlessly shifted between one step and the next to drop to four paws in their wolf forms. Their lean, muscular bodies melted into the darkness as they broke into a long, loping run that stirred up the too dry dirt in their wake as they moved down the dirt path in the direction she knew the greenhouse to be.

“Nope. Plan stays the same,” Nicole spoke quietly, her ears and eyes straining through the darkness to keep them in sight as long as possible. She could feel the stirring of Waverly within her mind, the presence was familiar and comforting but she focused her attention of what was around herself and Valdez, entrusting Waverly to let her know if they were needed.

“We’ve tried everywhere we can think of in the Triangle where Loblaw’s relatives may have hiden Monique, or where Trickett might be,” she explained, a huff of frustration leaving her as she thought about the gnome. “He’s seven-foot-tall when he can move around but only a couple of feet high when he’s stuck as an ornament. One doesn’t want to be found, and the other is easily overlooked. Hell, he could be right here and we wouldn’t know,” she gestured to the barren land around them.

Taking her eyes off where Waverly and Wynonna were just dots in the darkness, Valdez quickly glanced around, her eyes narrowing as she looked harder at a bush swaying in a breeze… or was it just a breeze? “But, you’ve been here before during the day and checked several times—”

“This is kind of a desperation check, almost a ‘Hail Mary’ ‘cause nothing else has helped find him. As such, they’re going in alone because it’s their land, and we’re staying here just in case something tries to take advantage of them being alone.”

“Hmm, I can kind of see the logic behind it… but the times Trickett has shown himself it had been to you,” she pointed out as she turned her head back towards the Gibson land.

“The first time I was with Wynonna… unfortunately,” Nicole grumbled under her breath. “The second time he was in a holding cell when he changed and he could smell Waverly.” Which was still more than a little creepy. “I was just in the wrong place at the right time. The third time, well he was looking for his wife and outside of Loblaw’s so again, coincidence.”

“Maybe,” Valdez tapped her chin thoughtfully with the point of her blade before returning her gaze to Nicole’s profile while her blade spun and danced between her fingers unwatched in her hand.  “I find it unwise to discount coincidences as such though.”

“That is why you are here,” Nicole stated as calmly as she could with Waverly now out of sight where there may or may not be a seven-foot gnome that was known to be a little stabby-stabby waiting. “And stop playing with your knife. I would rather not have to rush you to the hospital ‘cause you chopped your finger off.”

Valdez smirked softly at Nicole’s dryly spoken comment and the equally soft smirk that curved the corner of her mouth upwards to reveal her dimple. “I am still not used to the waiting around even though I had many years to perfect it while waiting for Kukulkan to reveal himself.”

“Hmm,” Nicole hummed in thought. “It can’t be easy to settle in one place then?”

Valdez tilted her head to the side, pondering Nicole’s question while she slid her blade back into its sheath with practised ease by touch alone. She breathed in the air, tasting the coolness coming in off the mountains that acted as a stunning snow-capped backdrop to the land. It tasted like there was going to be a harsh winter ahead. She had been alive for so many years and seen the world change in so many ways and yet the weather was still something that could still make her aware of how very far from home she was.

“I never thought I would be able to settle,” she admitted. “My home, everything I knew and loved was destroyed by monsters: the ones that came from across the seas and the one that slithered up from hell. All I had for years was the thought of finally getting revenge. After that, there was nothing in my mind, no end goal other than Kukulkan’s blood dripping from my blade. There was nothing I wanted to see or do. No future for me.”

Nicole turned her head as Valdez spoke, studying the sharp angles and high cheekbones of her profile. “And now?” At the question, Valdez turned her head to face her. The midnight black of her straight hair and the amber of her eyes shone in the moonlight as she looked at her with a light, relaxed smile that softened the harshness of her face and seemed as though it seeped deeper into her soul.

“Now? Now I see a future. One that I am still finding my place within. But, it is good here, Nicole. The land is different than my home, definitely colder,” she chuckled as a light, cold breeze chose that moment to blow across them. “But the people are more accepting.”

Nicole laughed lightly at the almost confused and yet delighted expression on Valdez’s face. Purgatory was definitely a place that defied all expectations. “Yep, that part surprised me too,” she smiled. “Like you, I’ve been many places, bigger places, with all kinds of people living in them. And it took coming to a tiny town in the wilds of Canada,” she spread her arms wide to encompass everything around them. “It took this place… these people… to find acceptance of who I am in my own right instead of fear and loathing for who my father was, and also for being openly gay. Here, it’s people like Bunny Loblaw and her views who are in the minority. I figure it’s because so many of the people here would be the outcasts anywhere else. Never tell them this, they would just kick up a stink and deny it but, between them, purely by accident, Nedley and Wynonna have managed to create a place that is more willing to just let people be who they are and love who they love while they enjoy their view of the Rockies.”

“I believe you are right.” Humming softly in contentment, Valdez relaxed further against the side of the vehicle. Before long though, a niggle of regret wormed its way into her mind and took hold and shame spread in its wake. “Nicole?”

“Hmm?”

“As much as I love it here… And I do. I am sorry I had not managed to kill Kukulkan before, and that you got caught up in my fight. I could not think of anyone better to have at my side in that battle than you and your family, but it should not have cost you what it did.”

Tilting back her head for a moment, Nicole gazed up at the moon peeking in and out through the cover of the clouds. It would not be long until there was another full moon.

“Losing my wolf, that was _not_ your fault Valdez, so get that right out of your mind. From what Kevin told us they took advantage of the situation because they’re scared of my ‘power’,” she air-quoted aggressively. “All because I was able to destroy a ring they couldn’t.” Nicole snorted at the very idea of someone, celestial beings at that, being scared of her.

“They probably would have preferred it if I had just died that night and saved them the trouble but, luckily, I had my very own angel taking care of me.” Warmth billowed through her being, seeping into every part of her body until it felt like it would spill from her just from the thought of Waverly.

“We took out a demon wannabe god together, if we need to go to war against angels and gods to protect your love, I and my blade will be the first ones at your side,” Valdez swore solemnly, slapping her hand down upon Nicole’s shoulder.

Nicole hoped it would not come to anything like that. But, just in case, she sent up a silent prayer to anyone or anything that was listening, to let them know that, if they so much as _looked_ at Waverly wrong, she would find a way to destroy them even if she had to claw her way to heaven with her bare hands to keep Waverly safe.

**********

Waverly slowed her pace further as the Gibson greenhouse started to come into view. A shiver coursed down her spine, setting her fur on end as the moon peeking from behind the clouds reflected back at them from the panes of glass that appeared as dark as the obsidian mirrors Bulshar had used. She glanced Wynonna’s way to see if she had noticed it too or if maybe her blue eyes reflected what she remembered, but her sister was busily scenting the air and ground searching for Trickett.

Which is what Waverly should have been doing instead of thinking about that part of their past.

Shifting as she neared, Waverly ran the tips of her fingers across the handle of the door. For a moment, her eyes in the darkness of the glass were even darker pools that looked sunken into her head in a grotesque parody of a skull, until the clouds parted and the moon pushed the darkness back and lit them from within. Lifting her hand, Waverly touched the glass as she studied the glow trapped within her eyes.

She’d never really studied it herself before, what it looked like when her eyes filled and shone with the pale light of the moon. Really she hadn’t been in a position to look at it for long most of the time, and it kind of scared her to know that there was something going on with her that she still didn’t really understand or know how to control. Nicole had described it to her though and it was that, more than the reassurances from Gretta and Maeve, which calmed her nerves as she took the time to really look and allow herself to feel.

She knew in her heart that maybe it should scare her to see the usual hazel of her eyes glowing how they were with the paleness of them, and how it took over even the pupils and how it made it look like she had been struck blind or like they were the eyes of the dead. But… They were none of those things. They were still her eyes, but she felt like she was carrying the comforting glow of the moon within her. That glow that parted the darkness and gave comfort and light to lost travellers and guided them and countless animals on their journeys. The same moon that tugged at every wolf when it was at its fullest; encouraging them to leave the homes of their usual forms and sing her praises.

Gretta and Maeve both thought that with their guidance and training she might, _should_ , be able to learn how to control the power of the moon and use it to call to the things that the moon did. But Waverly did not relish the thought of calling an army of moths, or Mothman himself if she got it wrong but, as they had pointed out, if she didn’t learn control she might do it accidentally which sounded much, _much_ , worse.

“Know you’re a gorgeous Virgo with hair for days and all, but are you going to stand there admiring your reflection all night or are we going in, Waves?”

Ignoring the teasing nudge of Wynonna’s shoulder against her own, Waverly steeled her nerves against the unease their mission and the abandoned building exuded and reached for the handle again. The door was almost too narrow for her wolf but Wynonna sucked in her breath and made it work for her. With a rushing whisper of fur, she slinked inside with only the slightest rattle of the frame before Waverly could make it in first. “Rude,” Waverly whispered.

During the daylight, the greenhouse had been spooky enough but in the darkness, the childhood memories that had followed Waverly’s every step took on an ominous feel and more than once she jumped as dried vines caught upon her form-fitting Yiska clothing like ragged fingernails.

_No!_

“This is ridiculous,” Waverly muttered under her breath. Shaking her head, she huffed in frustration at herself. She was a wolf! Even without any Moon Witch powers, the night was _her_ playground and they had no time for her to get stuck in her head!

“I’m not getting anything new in here, babygirl,” Wynonna sighed in disappointment, tossing an old clay pot from hand to hand as she walked towards her suddenly determined-looking sister. Determined was good though, right? Definitely an improvement on the distraction and fear that had seemed to be clinging to her.

“I can smell that weird fertilizer smell, but the whole land kind of smells like it to me,” she wafted her hand in front of her face to emphasise that she really didn’t like it. “Want to shift and put your nose to work?”

“Sure.”

“Hey.” Wynonna snagged Waverly’s arm before she could step away to make room enough to change. “Are you okay, babygirl? We don’t have to do this—”

“I’m fine, Wynonna.” Dropping her chin to her chest, Waverly released a sigh as the tension she was feeling came out sharply in her voice. “Sorry,” she apologised meekly. “Too many ghosts around here and it’s got me on edge.”

“Ghosts?!”

Waverly spluttered as Wynonna spun around, her eyes wide as they looked into every nook, cranny and darkened corner, and sent her luscious mane of hair straight into her face.

“You see dead people?!” she hissed loudly.

“No,” Waverly spat out a strand of hair clinging to her face. “I just see a doofus right now!” She slapped Wynonna on the shoulder. “I meant figurative ghosts, not literal.”

“Okay! Whew! Was not ready to see the ghost of your placenta dragging its way across the floor towards me.”

“Wynonna! What? How— Why would you even—” With a shake of her head, Waverly shed her form and shook out the thickness of her coat. She nipped at Wynonna’s fingers before she could ruffle her between the ears, ignoring her cry of disapproval as she walked away.

Slipping between the posts that rose up to the roof she ignored the still ghostly memories of dancing between them when she was young and carefree. That was a lie, she knew that now. An illusion of normalcy created in the mind of a child that hadn’t known that Mama’s shouldn’t have had to cover up bruises beneath layers of makeup and clothing. Or that not all big sisters were so cruel and spiteful or that all dads didn’t raise their voices and fists over the slightest slight.

Those were the ghosts that Waverly saw in that place. Ones that mirrored Nicole’s. Ones that their children would _never_ see. If they saw their mama’s fighting, Waverly knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be them fighting together, and not each other. Disagreements were talked through and solved that way and they had vowed never to walk away or go to bed angry.

Feeling calmer and more resolute, Waverly opened herself up to the scents around the greenhouse. Her sense of smell was, surprisingly to her at least, more finely tuned than Wynonna and even Nicole’s. She couldn’t get the distance that Nicole could but hers was more refined and capable of picking up even the subtlest of scents what even hers couldn’t. Wynonna was right in that there was nothing new there though. There was just the scent of dead earth and plants, and creatures determinedly clinging on to the shelter provided by the greenhouse. And of course there was the scent that went along with Trickett but it was deeply ingrained into everything there and didn’t hold the sharpness that went with a fresh scent.

Waverly brushed past Wynonna as her sister held the door open for her and gamely endured the rough chuckle of triumph and even rougher ruffling of fingers between her ears as Wynonna made up for her failed attempt earlier. The chuckle changed as Wynonna’s shape did but Waverly tuned it all into the background as they moved together across the land as stealthily as two massive wolves could.

Working as a team, they swept back and forth across the land, the steps hurried but silent on soft, carefully placed paws as they moved further and further away from the greenhouse. The plaintive screech of an owl eying them belligerently through bright orange eyes as they disturbed a rodent it had its eye on, was the only sound that broke the stillness of the night. Its silhouette crossed in front of the moon, casting a shadow upon the ground as it flew away back towards the cover of the trees from where it had come, in search of a fresh hunting ground.

Waverly slowed her stride and finally pulled up and shifted back to her human form to wait for Wynonna who was bringing up the rear, guarding and staying back so she could get the best bead on any scents. The greenhouse was a vague shape in the distance behind them, black upon black with the glint of the moon upon windows and frame the only thing to give it away while before them still lay acres upon acres of barren land that belonged to the Gibson’s and then more besides that stretched unowned towards the hills and snowcapped mountains beyond.

“’sup, babygirl?” Wynonna huffed breathlessly.

“One, you really need to exercise more,” she teased. “Take up yoga or something if that little run wore you out,” Waverly shook her head as her sister coughed and tried to act like she wasn’t having to lock her knees together to stop herself from toppling over.

“Hey! I’ve had two giant babies ripped out of my va-jay-jay! Takes a while for the body to recover after that!” As excuses went, Wynonna regretted it the moment it left her mouth and she remembered just whom she was talking to and how many Waverly had given birth to. Really, she had no excuse other than not wanting to run as much without Nicole to torment.

“Two,” Waverly continued as Wynonna tried to double down on her excuse by wasting valuable energy flipping her off. “I can’t see much point in looking further here.”

“Waves, I never took you for a quitter.”

“If I thought it would get us anywhere I would keep running until this was all sorted but… Wynonna, I’ve seen the maps, you have too, there has never been anything beyond the greenhouse.”

“So?” Wynonna interrupted.

“So. Assuming they wanted to be able to find Monique, maybe to use her in some way—”

“They would want to be able to find her again!” Shouted in realisation. “I feel so smart right now!”

“Exactly,” Waverly rolled her eyes fondly. “They trapped them instead of destroying them. There had to be a reason for that.”

“Well, how about we take another look around for Mister Stabby before we regroup with Haught and Princess? Hmm, sure there’s some super cool broTP ship name for them in there but, frankly, babygirl, I’m too puffed to come up with something.”

“Yoga, Wynonna. Seriously. You could join us one morning—”

“Morning? What is this morning that you speak of?”

“That time between—”

“Nope, can’t understand you, babygirl! No speaky weird geek! And I’ve no desire to see you or Haughtstuff in downward dog.” Shifting form, she swished her raised tail in Waverly’s face and trotted back towards the greenhouse with her head raised high in defiance of the ache in her legs.

Waverly shook her head fondly at her sister’s antics and dropped back to the ground on four paws. It was tempting to race after her but she paused a moment longer knowing she could catch up easily and that Wynonna wouldn’t let the distance between them get too great. She looked around carefully with all her senses just to make sure they were making the right decision. Nothing stirred, not even the rodent they had disturbed/saved, but there was still a strange energy over the land that was hard to explain or ignore.

Paws digging into the dusty ground, Waverly pushed off, kicking up dirt in her wake as she quickly caught up to and swept past Wynonna as though her sister was standing still.

Her steps faltered as they neared the greenhouse once more and a flash of motion from within caught her eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw and felt Wynonna slow with her, her sleek head tilting questioningly, blue eyes wide and searching. Rather than shift to explain, Waverly followed the direction of the flash and found her eyes falling upon the patch of ground where she had first found Trickett.

They had swept the area already! She was a hundred percent sure of it… a thousand percent! And yet, where there had been nothing there was a familiar outline amongst the sparse weeds and rocks.

_Trickett?!_

With a burst of speed that left Wynonna’s frustrated growl and her sister in her dust, Waverly crossed the distance and skidded to a halt. Falling to her knees she gently righted the gnome and brushed the dirt off his shoulders with her fingers. “There you are, old friend! We’ve been looking for you,” she smiled fondly, her eyes lingering upon ones that gazed back lifelessly.

As though waiting for her words, she felt a tingle spreading through her hands and up her arms that Waverly wasn’t quite sure if it came from herself or Trickett. It didn’t hurt, but it had Wynonna growling fiercely and then shouting her name but Waverly was unable to reassure her sister that she was okay, as before she could even gather her breath, the stone beneath her hands turned into a rough, woollen jacket that grew to match the width of broad shoulders as Trickett rose to his feet… All seven-foot of him, and his massive arms were wrapping around her in a strong, but comforting, hug that had her feet dangling far above the ground.

“Miss Waverly!”


	37. Chapter 37

Confusion furrowed Nicole’s brown with heavy lines as she looked down at the small pebble that had come to rest at her feet. With her left hand, she rubbed at the still stinging area on her right shoulder where it had hit. If it had been Wynonna with her, she would have accused the Alpha of childishly tossing stuff at her. But, she wasn’t with Wynonna. She was with Valdez. And Valdez not only wouldn’t have done anything like that in the first place but, she was also standing on the wrong side to have hit her there.

Not unless she was able to throw stones like a boomerang, or how Angelina Jolie’s character; Fox could curve bullets in _Wanted_.

Nicole whipped around, her eyes searching the darkness as another pebble pinged audibly off the wing mirror of Waverly’s Jeep closest to her. That erased all possibility of it being Wynonna as even she wouldn’t be so stupid as to risk damaging Waverly’s precious vehicle.

Smoothly, she drew her weapon from its holster and chambered a round with a solid, reassuring click of the slide that rang out in the stillness in lethal warning.

“Val—” Nicole’s warning shout broke off with a ping that clattered off Valdez’s blade as she swept it up in an arch almost too fast for the eye to see. It had moonlight glinting off its wickedly sharp edge as it deflected another stone that was whizzing towards her head.

“It appears we have a visitor,” Valdez pointed out somewhat unnecessarily as a figure stepped out from between the trees between them and the main road, with a tide of stones of various sizes rolling around her feet.

“Bunny!” Even with her usually perfectly coiffured pale blonde hair crackled and whipping around her head as though it was caught in a storm of lightning and magic, Nicole would have recognised her by the sneer on her face and the beige coat, now filthy and torn from her time on the run that was hanging off her shoulders.

Sighting down her weapon, Nicole let off five rounds in quick succession. She felt the kick of the gun vibrating through her forearm with each one so she knew it had gone off, but even though it had been aimed to pass over Bunny’s head in a warning shot it never got close to her as a wave of stones shot up and created a wall that stopped the bullets dead.

Knowing that the sides of the Jeep would be no protection, Nicole grabbed Valdez by the shoulder and hauled her away from the Jeep and pushed her towards the trees as the wall of stones broke apart and rushed towards them at a frightening speed. “Move!” she hollered above the sound of pebbles and stones thudding and tearing into the trees in their wake along with Bunny’s inhuman scream of frustration.

Crouching behind a tree at Valdez’s side, Nicole looked back around the shelter of the thick trunk and saw Bunny following them into the trees with an asteroid field of stones circling her body. Even with the distance between them, the loathing was clear to see blazing from her eyes and running like cavernous cracks through the thick makeup on her face to make her look more like the lava monster than a human.

“We need to split up,” she hissed just loud enough for Valdez to pick up. “If we give the witch too many targets we stand a better chance of getting to them.”

It was a risk but Nicole was betting, hoping really, with how the stones all went in a straight line until they crashed into something, that Bunny couldn’t control them enough to bend them around the trees in pursuit of even one of them.

Valdez nodded in understanding even though she disliked the thought of them splitting up.

“No matter what, get to Waverly and Wynonna,” she ordered. Right then she was hoping that Waverly was too busy with whatever had caused the thrill of excitement Nicole had felt from her and that her own mind was enough to hold back anything she was feeling so that Waverly didn’t come running blindly into danger.

Another glance around the tree revealed Bunny looking away from them, giving them the moment they needed.

Valdez pushed off from her crouched position, her arms and legs pumping strongly as she raced in the direction Nicole had pointed her in while Nicole raced off along her chosen path. The witches scream raced after her along with several stones that kicked up splinters of wood from poor unfortunate trees as she weaved in and out of their cover. For a moment, it looked as though Nicole’s plan would work but as she broke from the trees back into the path that led towards the greenhouse, Valdez found her planned route blocked by four mountainous figures made of large stones that stood as sentry along the path.

As though activated by her appearance, they turned and started lumbering towards her while even more formed as stones clattered from the trees and path to create them. She had not had the dubious pleasure of seeing the creatures that Xavier and Nicole had faced, but just looking at them she knew they were the same and that her knife would be of little use against them.

Increasing her speed, Valdez raced forward and used the bulk of the nearest creature to her advantage. Planting her feet against it, she pushed it stumbling back into another and propelled herself back towards the trees and raced as quickly as possible until she caught up to Nicole.

“Change of plan, my friend!” Forgoing further words, she pointed back over her own shoulder and over Nicole’s to where even more of them were rising up from the ground at the stone witch’s behest.

“Okay, that is not good!” Just one of them had been almost too much for herself and Xavier to handle, this many, even with room to move, was impossible. And if any of them did the lava trick it would be disastrous for the land too.

Running through the trees without her wolf was not as pleasant as with it but Nicole had, thanks to Alexandria’s help, learned to trust the instincts that were always there no matter what form she was in. With Valdez at her side, they raced through the trees, dodging and crossing paths without bumping into each other or a tree while still managing to stay ahead of the numerous rocks flying their way and the lumbering stone giants that tried to cut them off.

Nicole was glad to note that she had been right, thankfully, that Bunny could only aim her rocks in one direction but the creatures while maybe not exactly sentient had an autonomy that a singular rock didn’t. However, they were slow and as long as they thought ahead and kept track, they were easy-ish to get around even if they couldn’t stop them. But all the dodging around made progress through the trees to where Waverly and Wynonna were torturously slow going.

**********

“What was that?” Waverly’s head lifted, her eyes darting back in the direction from where they had come as five sharp, but distant sounds rang out in the night. Gunshots! She growled out a low warning as Wynonna’s hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her to a halt before she could race back to Nicole.

“Nicole and Valdez can take care of themselves, babygirl,” Wynonna really hoped those words, and Waverly’s teeth, wouldn’t come back to bite her in her top-shelf ass! “We’re got bigger, gnomish, fish to fry right now.” She nodded back to where said gnome was sitting on the ground where they had found him looking… well, she wasn’t sure if he was pensive, angry, or constipated but as long as he wasn’t trying to stab them, she was happy.

“You play gnome whisperer, I’ll keep my senses peeled on what’s happening out there, okay?”

Waverly nodded reluctantly, the agreement forced out of her by a gentle but firm shake of her hand Wynonna still had locked within her grip. She knew that Wynonna was right but that was her Alpha out there! “Okay, just—”

“Senses peeled, babygirl, I swear. Just try to get Trickett moving… talking or something. Whatever’s going on out there it sounds like it’s coming our way.” With one last reassuring squeeze, Wynonna released Waverly’s hand to drop back to her side and jogged a little way away from her, placing herself firmly between whatever was going on back where Nicole and Valdez had been keeping watch, and her sister.

There were no further sounds of gunshots, but there were frequent and progressively louder, sharp sounds and thuds of things been struck together. It was really hard, frustratingly so, to make out what was going on but a shift in the wind blowing from the trees brought with it a vile scent and a scream that had the hair on her body standing on end.

“Bunny. Great,” she growled under her breath, “one bitchy witch incoming.”

Waverly knew before Wynonna’s softly muttered words meant only for herself reached her exactly what was happening, or at least what was coming, as Bunny’s scent had already reached her on the breeze that was stirring the sparse weeds Trickett had been sitting amongst looking all kinds of dejected.

One moment he had been overjoyed at the sight of her and sweeping her off her feet; much to Wynonna’s horror. And the next, it was as though the will to live had been sucked right out of him because of some stupid stray comment from Wynonna about there been one less gnome to find. After that, he had let out a pitiful howling moan that vaguely resembled his wife’s name and sank back to the ground; sullen and silent.

“Hey, Trickett.” Not knowing quite what to do, Waverly sank to her knees at his side. He was so tall that even sitting hunched over he towered above her, which at least made looking into his craggy, bearded face easier. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she steadied herself as she gave him the kind of simple contact with another living being she was sure had been missing in his life for many years. “We’ll find her, I swear, okay? You remember my Mama, Michelle?” He nodded slightly, his beard brushing against the back of her hand as he tilted his head her way slightly.

“Gone,” he grumbled dejectedly. “Sorry.”

“Oh, Mama’s back now, Trickett. She’s okay. She talked to the Blacksmith about helping you before she went missing. Everything all kind of went poopy there for a while but her daughter, Gretta and the ghost of a Fire Witch, Maeve—” Waverly waved her hand, brushing aside her blathering and Trickett’s obvious confusion. “That doesn’t matter. The point is, we’ve got it now, the way to free you and Monique,” pulling the delicately wrought locket out of her pocket, Waverly showed it to him. Just with it laying in the palm of her hand, Waverly could feel the magic locked within it tickling up her arm. “We just need to find her and put it on the necklace she’s wearing. Once the necklace is put on someone else the curse should be broken. First things first though, we need to find her.”

“I’ve looked,” he sighed brokenly. “Can’t find Monique! The Moon Witches wouldn’t help and they were the only ones the Stone Witches feared!”

“Why did they fear them? From what I heard, their power was waning and they just wanted a quiet life. Do you know what was going on, Trickett?”

“The moon waxes and wanes, Miss Waverly. And then when it is full its power is undeniable. It calls to all living creatures and the sea. And even the witches that gather and cast spells beneath its light.”

“What are you saying?”

“We overheard them talking. That was why they turned us to stone, to stop us. They were afraid that the change in the land we were creating was a sign that the Moon Witches were growing in power again and that if that happened they would be compelled to follow them. All your ancestors wanted was to grow tomatoes and be happy and they wanted the power they thought they had.”

“Uncle Curtis sounds like he is more Gibson that Aunt Gus,” Wynonna snorted fondly at the thought of their Uncle and the overabundance of tomatoes he managed to grow each year. Not that she was ever going to complain about it when it meant free food.

Waverly rocked back on her heels at the revelation that all of the devastation around them and what had happened to Trickett had been because of a power that hadn’t even been there to fear.

“That is so— You’re not the only one looking now, Trickett. Our whole pack, the Yiska, everyone in Purgatory will— is, helping and we will find her. You’re not alone in this anymore, Trickett. Right now though— you hear that?” Waverly grimaced, her shoulders tightening with the need to act as the distinct sharp crack of a tree splintering and crashing to the ground reached them. “That is trouble coming our way and we need to get to safety.”

“Can’t leave here, Miss Waverly.”

“Trickett, we’ve seen you in other places, we know you can move around and right now you need to move so I can help Nicole.”

“The nice lady with flaming hair?”

“Yes,” Waverly chuckled at Trickett’s enthusiastic description. Obviously, Nicole, or at least her hair, had made an impression on the gnome. It wasn’t enough to persuade him to get to his feet though and although lifting him would be easy with her strength, Waverly really didn’t relish the thought of carrying him when she should have both hands free to help Nicole.

“Please, Trickett—”

“I have to stay here.”

“You have to?” Waverly looked at him, her eyes narrowing as she tried to peel apart his choice of words and the sadness in his voice. “Why?”

“I— Not sure. Have to find— Protect— Monique.”

“I can hear the gears in your head turning, babygirl but this is really the wrong time!”

“Actually… I think this is the best time!” Surging to her feet so fast Wynonna let out a startled squeak as she found herself suddenly eye to eye and nose to nose with her, Waverly grasped her sister by both shoulders, gave her a shake before letting go to pace back and forth before returning and shaking her again.

“Jeez, Waves! You’ll have my brains scrambled before Bun Bun can!”

“I think we’ve been looking for Monique in the wrong place! We all have!”

“Words, Waverly, use them… but be quick about it!” she urged as the noises heading their way grew closer and more violent with every second they lingered.

“We should have been looking right here all along! And not somewhere else on the property… right here! Trickett! This is where you return to right? Right here? Right in this place?”

“Yeah— yes?” he looked between the ground at his feet where Miss Waverly was gesticulating enthusiastically, and her excited face. It was _the_ place. Even if he stayed on the Gibson land, come the morning he was back right in the place he had been when the spell had been placed on him and his beloved, Monique.

“What if— What if they didn’t hide her somewhere else? They didn’t need to! What if they just trapped her and buried her right where she was?”

Wynonna stared at the ground where Trickett was standing. She had to admit, it did sound like the kind of sadistic thing Bunny Loblaw would enjoy and she was obviously cut from the same cloth as her ancestors who had trapped the gnomes in their stone prisons.

“Wynonna! Start digging!”

“What? Why me?”

“’Cause we’ve got company!” Waverly yelled as Valdez’s body tumbled through the air out of the trees with such force and velocity she crashed straight through the greenhouse.

“Dig!” She ordered, pausing only to toss the locket to Trickett before turning to run towards the danger.

**********

They had made it! The last line of trees was in sight with the structure of the Gibson greenhouse where it showed through the branches when their luck ran out.

Nicole barely had time to register the massive stone form rising up and taking shape as they paused just for a moment to check their plans before Valdez was giving her a sharp shove that took her out of the path of the arm swinging in an upwards blow towards her head. If it had landed, it would have cleaved her head in or knocked it off her shoulders and probably, more than likely, would have killed her outright but as it was, it caught Valdez with a crushing blow to her ribs that swept her off her feet and sent her sailing out through the trees.

Rolling with Valdez’s shove, Nicole’s fingers found and held onto a sturdy branch. As she regained her feet, she surged forward, using her momentum as she crammed the end of the long branch into what passed for a mouth in the off-balance creature and propelled it backwards until it tripped and stumbled over an exposed root and broke apart as it hit the ground.

Nicole didn’t wait to see if it got back up again. Even its crumbling back into smaller stones was seen only out of the corner of her eyes as she turned and ran in the direction Valdez had been thrown as soon as there was space between them and it stumbled back.

Stones as small as marbles and as big as baseballs followed her, slamming into the ground and whistled past her head as she dodged and turned. At any other time, the sight of the shards of glass left on the ground in the wake of Valdez’s body as she had, apparently, sailed through the greenhouse, rising up and repairing the damage done, might have given Nicole pause but… she had lumbering piles of stone and a psychotic witch on her tail and Valdez was hurt, so she simply skirted around the building until she found her friend struggling to regain her feet.

“Valdez!”

“I am fine… mostly,” Valdez amended as a length of glass plucked itself out of her side and flew through the air to reform part of a window. “ _That_ , was not nice,” she griped belligerently and tossed the offending window a glare.

“You complain about _that_ and not going through the greenhouse?” Shaking her head, Nicole slid her shoulder under Valdez’s arm to brace her as she hauled the woman to her feet.

“I was too busy on the way through,” she snorted. “Ahh, I see they managed to find your gnome friend. Your future husband, according to Wynonna.”

“You need to stop hanging around that particular Earp,” Nicole grumbled. “Come on, we need to stay ahead of Bunny.”

“Running away from a rabbit, that is _so_ undignified.”

“What the hell, Valdez? Did you smack your head on the way through the greenhouse?” skidding to a halt at their sides, Waverly took over the task of supporting the obviously dazed woman, freeing up Nicole to cover them. If need be, she could just pick them both up and get them to safety but Valdez looked in no fit state to be jostled so they made use of the shelter created by the greenhouse. Her eyes widened as she finally got a good look at the creatures made of stone lumbering towards them. They were faster than she expected from something of that size. “I see you brought the fun with you.”

“More like it found us,” Nicole growled out her frustration and punctuated it with a shot that ricocheted uselessly off one off the creatures as it started to cut them off from where Wynonna was buried head and shoulders deep in the ground, her ass sticking up in the air and her tail curled over her back as dirt flew back in a plume from  her busy paws. “You found Trickett though.”

“Hopefully Monique too,” Waverly panted out as she horridly shielded Valdez’s head from an incoming stone the size of her fist. They were running out of shelter fast! “I— we think that they buried her right here. Left poor Trickett standing over her without him even knowing. Nicole?”

Waverly froze and looked back over her shoulder in confusion as Nicole came to a sudden halt. Shifting Valdez’s weight, she turned them around slightly. She did not like the look on Nicole’s face one bit. “What are you doing? Whatever you’re thinking, Nicole, I already don’t like it!”

“Take Valdez and help Wynonna find Monique. Help her dig and watch her back her while I try to draw them all away.”

“I changed my mind, I hate it! Nicole—”

“Waverly… baby. If you find Monique then all this will be over. But, you need the time to find her and you can’t do that if you’re dodging Bunny and those things. Go, I’ll be okay.”

Waverly knew that Nicole was right, she trusted her judgement. But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

Using up precious seconds they didn’t really have, Nicole pressed her lips to Waverly’s, strengthening herself with her scent and their love.

“No kiss fer me? Boo!”

“God, she’s worse than Wynonna,” Waverly giggled slightly before suddenly turning serious eyes on Nicole and grabbing her by her shirt to yank her down to her level. “You, stay safe, you hear me!?”

“I promise.”

“Don’t promise. Just do it!”

Waverly wanted nothing more than to drag Nicole away with her. Instead, she reluctantly shouldered Valdez’s weight and hurried their strides towards where Wynonna was still furiously digging and tried to ignore the heavy weight pressing down on her chest to make her heart ache. It brought tears to her eyes and made each breath a struggle. Wynonna lifted her head as they neared and Waverly had to fight down a whimper that clawed to be set free as her sister glanced around and fixed her with a questioning look when she saw that Nicole wasn’t with them.

“She’s being stupidly brave to give us time to find Monique,” Waverly choked out the explanation as she lowered Valdez to the ground out of the path of the restlessly pacing gnome. “So, let’s make this count, huh?” she ordered and begged in one breath as she swiftly shifted and joined Wynonna in excavating as much earth as quickly as possible.

**********

Although the shots themselves had little effect on the creatures, Nicole used them to her advantage, drawing the attention of the lumbering beings and the witch controlling them. She fired again and again as she moved, the force of each shot travelling up her arms as the weapon kicked out a bullet that bounced time and again off any that was showing an interest in what Waverly and the others were doing.

She sidestepped across the dry ground, her gun barking out into the night as they closed in on her. Her breathing was even, her mind entering a state where she was so hyperaware that everything seemed to slow down.

Breathe.

In.

Aim.

Out.

Squeeze.

Fire.

Again…

Adjust.

Again…

She counted the shots down, her hand shifting and finding a spare clip.

Breathe.

Fire.

Release.

The spent clip dropped from the gun and the spare slotting into its place before the old one even hit the ground. With barely even a pause, her finger squeezed against the trigger and the next bullet flew towards Bunny before she could look towards the others.

Ducking and rolling, she dodged the lethal swipe of a stone arm coming for her head once more. Nicole felt the breeze of it stirring her closely cut hair as it whistled past but the timing was, thankfully, just right and blow struck the creature that was moving up in front of her.

The air was rent with the thunderous, sharp, cracking sound of stone upon stone as they came together. Stones and dust tumbled down around Nicole, raining down across her back and shoulders as they tore themselves apart. Nicole paid them only enough attention to make sure she was away from them if they reformed as she moved around and fired again and again.

Nicole risked a glance towards the others. Waverly and Wynonna were just about out of sight apart from the tips of their raised tails. That and the plumes of dirt flying up were the only indication of where they were apart from the towering figures of Trickett and a thankfully upright Valdez standing guard over them.

It was a delicate balancing act. Trying to draw the stone creatures too far had Bunny turning her attention in the last place that Nicole wanted them to look but sticking closer to draw her ire left her vulnerable. And with every blow that clipped her, and every narrow escape, Nicole could feel Waverly’s fear and anger rising in equal measure to where she could swear she could almost feel the ferocity of Waverly’s snarls vibrating through the ground beneath her after a blow sent her sprawling.

_“Keep digging!”_

_“Stay alive!”_

_“Working on it!”_ Nicole grunted as she rolled to avoid a clump of stones in the vague shape of a foot that stomped down where her head had been.

_“Try harder, Alpha!”_

With everything within her, Waverly resisted the almost overwhelming urge to lift her head to check on Nicole with her eyes and not just their connection. If she did that she would lose momentum and she knew just from what she was feeling that she wouldn’t be able to stay in the hole digging. At Nicole’s side was where she belonged. Every fibre of her being knew that, and was screaming at her to get there as soon as possible! She stamped it down and dug deeper. Literally.

They were fast reaching the point where it would be too deep even for them to kick the dirt out of their way.

Had she got it wrong?

Surely, they couldn’t have buried Monique that deep?

It made sense that she was there but maybe they were off? Even a matter of inches let alone feet could make all the difference…

Waverly froze, her body going as still as the statue form of the gnome they were looking for as her claws scraped across something hard. Wynonna froze less than a split second later in reaction to her stillness, her brilliant blue eyes meeting the hazel of her own… cautiously… hopefully. A soft, tentatively questioning whine filled the hole they were standing in.

With a careful swipe, Waverly dragged her paw the length of whatever was beneath it. Not quite daring to believe, she kept her eyes locked with Wynonna’s until the strong scent they had come to associate with the gnomes slammed its way into her sensitive nostrils and her claws caught on what felt like thick chains wrapped around it.

With Wynonna’s help, they carefully worked Monique free of the dense earth that seemed reluctant to release her and even more carefully lifted her out of the hole and into Trickett’s arms. He cried out in soft wonder at the sight of her in so many years and then in pain as the chains burned his hands as he struggled to release her.

The next cry that sounded out into the night should have been one of joy as Wynonna easily broke the chains with her bare hands, but instead, it was one of pain that froze Waverly’s heart.

“Nicole!”

She was racing across the open land in an instant; Wynonna’s shout a vague sound that was lost beneath the pounding in her ears. Nicole was on her knees, her face twisted into a mask of pain as she cradled her left arm to her body as the creature let it go. From the position of her shoulder, Waverly could tell that it was, at the very least, dislocated but even that wasn’t what had Waverly’s heart pounding out of her chest.

“Nicole!” Waverly screamed her love’s name in warning as more of the stone golems moved closer, their massive frames eclipsing Nicole as they encircled her. Bunny’s shrewish laugh of triumph grated across Waverly’s nerves and set her teeth on edge. With her lank blonde hair whipping in the unnatural wind of evil power emanating from her, she moved towards Nicole.

“Get away from her, you bitch!”

Waverly flung out her arm as she strained to get to Nicole. She felt the power rising within her with the force of a tsunami that exploded out from the tips of her fingers in an almost blinding wave of energy, brighter than any moon she had ever seen.

The wave rippled through the air straight towards the stone creatures… and Nicole.

Fear followed the release of power… fear that her instinctive action had doomed Nicole!

She had killed her Alpha! Killed the woman she loved above everything!

She wanted to take back her action. Wanted to cram it so tightly back into the container of her body and bury it so deep it never surfaced again.

But it was too late!

In horrifying slow motion and crystal-clear high definition, Waverly saw the blade of her power lighting the stone creature’s bodies, highlighting the gaps and natural defects, all the smooth surfaces where they were worn by the passage of time and all the pits and cracks created by their grinding together in the perverse forms they were not supposed to be in.

She saw everything.

And then she saw what happened to them as her power struck their hardened bodies.

They had no faces as such in order to emote, but she could almost see their surprise as the power cleaved across them and lifted their massive weights off the ground as if they weighed no more than a feather caught on a breeze. As their bodies lifted, they were torn apart by the force of it; their parts thudding to the ground as they and Bunny were tossed aside to reveal Nicole still kneeling untouched by it upon the ground.

Falling to her knees, Waverly gathered Nicole’s body into her arms.

“Ow!”

“Ow?” Waverly let out a noise that could have almost been a laugh if it hadn’t been drowned out by her broken sob of relief that burst out of her against the crook of Nicole’s neck where their scent was the strongest. “I told you to try harder with the staying alive.”

“Hey, still alive aren’t I?” Gently cupping Waverly’s face between her hands as best as she could with her shoulder dislocated and her bones feeling like they had been seconds away from being ground into dust, Nicole gently encouraged her tear-filled eyes to meet hers. The moon-glow caught within them, dimmed and faded to show only the beauty of hazel. Nicole brushed her right thumb across her cheek, capturing her tears as they trembled upon her lashes and spilt down her cheeks. “I knew you would save me.”

Although Nicole’s words had meant to reassure her, Waverly just found herself letting out another sob that came from somewhere deep in her soul and flung herself back into Nicole’s arms with enough strength to send them both sprawling to the ground.

“Ow.” Nicole tried to stop the protest leaving her mouth but even if she could ignore the grating pain in her shoulder, her body was one massive bruise and it slipped out anyway. She tightened her one good arm around Waverly though, holding her closer and swallowing her whimper of apology with a kiss before she could scramble off her.

“Waves,” Nicole gently stilled her and reluctantly pulled back before their kisses could deepen. “As much as I could just stay here in your arms forever, there’s a really sharp stone pressing into my ass and… what happened to Bunny?”

A feral scream of absolute fury rending the air was their only warning before a harsh hand tangled in Waverly’s hair, yanking her upright off Nicole, exposing her throat to the blade held within Bunny’s hand. She was stronger than the stone witch but her position and Bunny’s furious strikes had left her barely able to defend herself and cuts opened up along her forearms as Bunny slashed at her again and again.

“Waverly!” At Bunny’s scream, Nicole tried to move but the earth undulated beneath her and newly formed hands made from stone grabbed at her, creating a band across her neck and shoulder that slowly dragged her down into the loosened soil. Nicole kicked and thrashed, ignoring the pain and darkness creeping up from her lack of oxygen in an effort to stop the blade aimed for Waverly’s neck.

The smell and taste of Waverly’s blood dripping down onto her face along with all the hate-filled words spewing from Bunny’s mouth fuelled a rage within Nicole, stoking it past anything she had ever felt before.

With a primal roar, she strained upwards within the grasp of the stones trying to drag her into the ground. They dug in harshly, scouring wounds into her flesh as they crushed against her windpipe. But somehow, she managed to gain enough space to yank Waverly out of Bunny’s grasp and pushed Bunny backwards at the same time before the darkness rushed in to claim her.

Through the flickering blackness of night and unconsciousness, Nicole watched as Bunny staggered back and righted herself, her look of shock turning even further into a rage that twisted her face into a mask that was only humanly in shape. Her arm rose up, the blood staining her blade shining darkly in the light from the moon as she took a step forward with her eyes trained upon Waverly who was struggling to hold her above the dirt raining down upon her face.

Nicole ached to tell Waverly to run but the darkness was overwhelming her, and breathing was just about impossible.

“Nicole! Hold on, baby! Hold on! Let her go you shit-tickets!” Waverly scrambled at the dirt, brushing it frantically from around Nicole’s nose and mouth as she glanced up. She knew she needed to stop Bunny but… The stones weighing against her throat, pulling her with relentless force into the ground were already perilously close to crushing her throat. What if, just the time it took to get to her was all it took to— to kill Nicole?

Just thinking of leaving her, of losing her— it was more than Waverly could stand and she would rather die with her than live without her.

A figure loomed up out of the darkness behind Bunny and, for one terrifying moment, Waverly thought she had summoned up another of her creatures… until she realised that the arms that came forward over Bunny’s shoulders were encased in a rough, wool of Trickett’s coat. His shears glinted wickedly where they hung at his side but it was the glint of the moon against the locket in his huge hands that caught Waverly’s eyes.

Even with the distance between them, she could still feel the power within it and felt it growing and amplifying as Trickett placed the necklace around Bunny’s neck. A surge of power from the spell vibrated through the air as Trickett released his hold and the necklace settled completely against her.

Bunny’s face shifted in an instant; the mask of hatred falling to one of confusion as she felt the spell closing around her; capturing her in the inescapable bonds created by Gretta and Maeve. The witches of Iron and Fire that had come together and formed to become the new Blacksmith.

As Bunny’s hand reached towards the necklace, her movements slowed and slowed until she was barely moving at all. And as she slowed, so too did the thing choking Nicole and Waverly, along with Wynonna and Valdez, helped finally release her from the soil. Waverly pulled her upright into her arms, barely giving her the chance to suck in a much-needed breath before she kissed her.

Waverly could still feel the magic taking place so close to them but Nicole was the one thing on her mind.

Nicole. Nicole. Nicole.

She touched her all over, whispering and whimpering her love at every cut and bruise that she found and capturing Nicole’s cry of pain and heartfelt growl as Valdez reached over without warning and twisted her arm until her dislocated shoulder moved back into place with a stomach-churning sound.

Nicole!

That was all there was.

Nicole!

Not Bunny Loblaw and her fate as her body shrank and hardened into stone.

Nicole!

Not the fate of the evil being that had spewed hatred upon so many. Not the vile creature that had killed Jean and tried to kill them and their children.

Nicole!

Waverly liked to think she was a nice person. After all, she had the sash to prove it. As nice as she was, right then, she couldn’t find it in her to even question what would become of Bunny Loblaw as Trickett and Monique; his beautiful, petite, surprisingly buxom and rosy-cheeked wife, who had him wrapped around his finger with a single word, wrapped her up in the chains that had bound Monique and held her captive far below the earth. She didn’t even care or question it as they carried Bunny away and vanished into the night.

Nicole!

Her Alpha.

Her love.

Her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... or is stone.
> 
> Either way, NO MORE BUNNY!!!
> 
> Which means that this story is winding down now... anywhere from 1-3 chapters at the most that should, hopefully, tie up the loose ends of Nicole's wolf and maybe the angels too (muses willing).


	38. Chapter 38

With her hip propped up against the porch rail and a shoulder against one of the strong supports that held up the roof, Nicole took a slow, thoughtful sip of her hot chocolate. Closing her eyes, she tilted back her head and listened to the sounds of life around the village as people went about their business. Friends and neighbours called out to each other and chatted while children of all ages rushed about playing. Their games took them over every inch of the village under the careful watch of the adults within the village and the guards carefully stationed to protect their borders and everyone within.

Above every other sound carried of the faintest of breezes, was the distant ringing of metal coming together and grunts of exertion from the training ground where Alexandria and Valdez were testing each other and themselves. A part of Nicole missed it and wished she could be there but she was certain that was the part that missed being able to heal quickly because she certainly didn’t miss ending up on her ass every couple of minutes.

“Aww, feeling left out, Red? I’m sure Alexandria still likes you even though Valdez is her new favourite.”

“Kind of thankful it’s not me their wailing on for a change all things considered.” Cracking open her eyes, Nicole frowned when she saw Wynonna smirking as she closed her mouth around the marshmallow she had stolen right off her drink. “Hey, I was saving that, Earp.”

“Ya snooze, ya lose,” Wynonna chortled as she chewed slowly on the mallow.

“Behave, Wynonna.”

Nicole smiled as Waverly’s light tone wrapped around her. Her body curved and relaxing back into the warm hand running up along her back to her shoulder in a gentle caress that Nicole knew was Waverly’s way of asking if it was feeling okay. Waverly leaned into her side as she slipped her arm around her while she sprinkled a generous serving of fresh, vegan marshmallows onto her chocolate.

Heat shot up Waverly’s spine and pooled low in her abdomen as Nicole gave a husky murmur and released a purr in satisfaction that vibrated through her body. Rich brown eyes followed her hand and grew dark and passionate as she popping the last mallow between her teeth and leaned closer, offering up both the pillowy softness of the sweet, white treat and her lips to her Alpha.

Nicole’s lips grazed across her own in the lightest of brushes that set Waverly’s body on fire like dry kindling touched by a flame as even white teeth closed around the marshmallow and bit it slowly. Their lips clung together but, taking no chances and needing the stability of Nicole’s body as her anchor, Waverly tangled her fingers in the soft fabric of the flannel she was wearing and pressed closer. Nicole’s fingers, those wonderfully elegant, knowing fingers, moved around her waist, finding a temporary home at the small of her back. With a drumming, restless flutter that made Waverly smile into their kiss, her hands started to explore, pulling her closer with an increasing urgency that matched their kiss.

By the time their mouths parted for a much-needed breath, they were alone on the porch and Nicole’s mug of chocolate was missing along with Wynonna.

Nicole chuckled huskily at the Alpha’s antics and kept Waverly tucked against her body before she could leave her to enact revenge upon her sister. “Stay,” she whispered, her eyes drifting shut as she breathed in the light fragrance of her shampoo and basked in the warmth of her body.

Waverly relaxed there within Nicole’s warm embrace and let the peace of the day wash over her. The peace was welcome but, knowing life in Purgatory it was bound to be a temporary thing. The threat brought about by Bunny Loblaw was over with. Finally! Though no one had dared to ask Trickett or Monique, who had taken up residence on the Gibson property and had already started on reawakening the land rather than leaving, what had become of Gnome-Bunny.

Not that anyone really seemed to care beyond wanting to know if she was now gravel or if they could deface her… that was mostly Wynonna asking that though. If she ever turned up in one piece, Waverly was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bunny would be sporting a beard, handlebar moustache, and a monocle seconds later.

A glance at Nicole’s throat and the still livid bruises upon her pale flesh even after Clarke had given her medicine to speed up her healing, was enough to squash any desire Waverly had to give a damn about Bunny’s fate.

The patter of tiny feet racing towards them was followed seconds later by a tug on her pants. Sharing a smile with Nicole, they looked down and found Dom, sleepyeyed and rumpled, waiting expectantly for their attention. Chucking, Waverly scooped their daughter up into her arms so she was cradled between them where she settled with a sleepy yawn, her tiny fist holding onto Nicole’s shirt while the other grasped a length of her hair.

“Really don’t know why we bother with the baby gates anymore,” smiling fondly, Nicole made a half-hearted attempt to comb Dom’s hair into some semblance of order with her fingers.

“Don’t you mean ever?” Waverly questioned teasingly as she nuzzled into the sweet curve of Dom’s cheek and neck.

“True. They’re almost as good at escaping as CJ but I wouldn’t have them any other way.”

“You sure about that?” Waverly smirked as a clattering of something running afoul of the others as they raced around in a pre-full moon energy rush had Nicole wincing.

“Yep… mostly,” Nicole grimaced as another thud roused Dom’s interest. “Hey, with any luck, maybe they’ve tried up Wynonna.”

Waverly lightly slapped Nicole’s right shoulder simply for the exaggerated eyebrow waggle that pulled a giggle from her. “Don’t give her any ideas,” she nodded down to where Dom was watching them with interest.

Laughing softly, Nicole shifted Dom’s weight into her own arms and gave both her girl’s soft kisses. “You better go rescue your sister. Between ours and her own, she’s outnumbered.”

“She’s outnumbered just with Alice and Michelle,” Waverly snorted. “Want me to take Dom?” The offer had their daughter shaking her head and using her wiles as she hid her face against Nicole and held on tighter.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Okay,” smiling gently, Waverly smoothed her hand over Dom’s head and kissed her downy soft, sweetly scented cheek. She couldn’t blame their daughter for wanting to stay as close to Nicole as possible, she’d barely been able to let her go herself. “You take good care of your Mama. Make sure she rests good, okay?”

“Okay,” Dom nodded solemnly.

“Between you two I’m starting to think you want to just keep me captive in bed.”

“Oh, Nicole, I’ve wanted that since the moment I saw you,” she purred lowly. Her fingers danced across Nicole’s jawline and cheeks, delighting at the blush stealing across them in the wake of her words and fingers.

“Waves,” Nicole whined in protest.

“Rest,” she chuckled lightly at the burgeoning look of need in Nicole’s eyes. “Later,” she huskily whispered; Nicole’s eyes darkening at her promise. “I’ll go rescue Wynonna. Hmm, maybe I’ll do that after I’ve made lunch though. That way I’m not just feeding the bottomless pit of her stomach. Do you want another drink bringing out?”

“I’m okay thanks. That was actually my second mug Wynonna made off with,” she smirked.

Nicole settled down in a seat on the porch as Waverly left. Dom curled into her chest, her slight weight comforting as she played with the buttons of her flannel. Nicole could feel her eyes upon the bruises around her throat and soon after, her fingers tentatively brushed curiously across them.

“It’s okay, sweetie, they don’t hurt.” Which was only _mostly_ true. Clarke’s medicines had worked wonders in such a short amount of time, but she still ached more than she wanted to admit but, given the alternative, a bit of bruising and a sore throat when she talked for more than a couple of sentences was a small price to pay. Harder to take was the pain in their children’s eyes when they had first seen her after they had got home.

Dom took it the hardest though. Since she had been stripped of her wolf, Dom hated to see any wound or bruise no matter if it was fresh or days old, that acted as a reminder of what she had seen that night.

In an effort to distract her, Nicole pointed out the silvery disk of the full moon hanging high in the sky waiting to shine with all its glory once the sun released its hold on the day. This close to its zenith, it pulled and tugged even as it filled them to overflowing with energy. Nicole wasn’t sure if it was just the memory of how it should feel, or if she really could still feel its siren call, but she felt antsy in her own skin just looking at it.

Nicole glanced down and smiled as she saw the look of awe on Dom’s upturned face and the way her lips pursed as though practising the howl she wanted to release. “She sure is pretty, hmm? Want to know something though, sweetpea?” Dom turned her eyes to hers and nodded as she lowered her voice to a secretive whisper. “As big and bright as the moon will be later, _you_ are even more beautiful.”  As prettily as her mama, Dom shyly ducked her head and curled into her, hiding her face against her shoulder.

“You going to sing for me later?”

Dom’s head bobbed up and down against her. Nicole’s reflexes saving her nose from taking a battering as Dom suddenly popped up and grabbed her cheeks between her hands with a serious, hopeful glint in her eyes.

“Mama sing with me?”

“Hmm, Mama can’t sing as good as you—” Nicole froze as Dom’s eyes grew troubled and dropped to the bruises encircling her throat. Teasing her fingers along Dom’s side, she expertly tickled lightly, pulling a giggle from her daughter that had her giggling. “Yeah, I’ll sing with you if you want. And we can play together all night. How does that sound?”

“Puh— pizza and fries too?” Dom giggled hopefully.

“Oh hell yeah! We’ll have a feast before Aunty Nono can eat it all.”

“It sounds like you two are making plans. Is it okay if I join in on them later? I’ll bring Cole and Madi.”

Nicole smiled as Dom launched herself from her lap and into Alexandria’s waiting arms as she took a seat next to them. Just the offer of Alexandria joining in would have been enough, they loved their Aunty Al, but sweetening the offer with Cole and Madi was a sure-fire way of getting a yes out of any of them.

As Dom settled into playing with her braids, Alexandria turned her attention to the friend she thought of as so much more. She had never had a sister to know what that must feel like, but the label sat easily when she thought of Nicole.

“How are you feeling? Apart from sick of being asked that,” she amended as she read the brief flare of exasperation in Nicole’s expressive eyes.

“Better than I should thanks to Clarke,” Nicole answered, mindful of Dom listening in. “I heard you having some fun with Valdez.”

“I would much rather train with you… Valdez is not as easy to take down.” Alexandria smirked as Nicole’s face went on a journey from pride, to a slack-jawed shock, before settling on a narrow-eyed look of steely determined.

“Oh, just you wait,” Nicole grumbled.

“Looking forward to you trying… again… and again.” Laughing at Nicole’s playful expression of outrage, Alexandria gently deposited Dom back into Nicole’s arms. “Until then, I had best go make sure everything is still standing at home… Raven is with Cole and Madi,” she explained.

“Ah, well, I haven’t heard any explosions.”

“Which would be more comforting if Raven wasn’t trying to perfect a silent explosive because they bother Muffin too much.”

“Oh, sweet lord!”

“Mhmm,” Alexandria nodded. “I will see you later… especially you,” she ruffled Dom’s hair and softly kissed her cheek. “You’ll save me some fries right?”

Dom clung to one of Alexandria’s braids as it swung within reach and held her captive. “Bringin’ Cole ‘n Madi?”

“But of course,” she chuckled at the grin that split Dom’s face at her assurance.

“Then… will save you pizza too!” Dom nodded firmly.

Nicole shook her head fondly as Alexandria left and Dom rushed away with an excited squeal, no doubt to let her sisters and cousins know that Cole and Madi were coming. They would no doubt be devils to contain until they got there but it would maybe help keep their minds off the effects of the moon and their young bodies; especially Dom and Kat’s as they could already change when they felt like it. Which was often going by CJ’s disgruntled glares when she had to retreat to higher ground. Nicole had the feeling that Melanie and Jasmin wouldn’t be far behind though, not with Kat and Dom acting as their guides and inspiration.

Which meant, she would be the only one in the house that couldn’t shift.

Releasing a melancholy sigh at the thought, Nicole slumped down in her seat and gazed up at the moon. She was determined not to let it get to her. In the grand scheme of things, not being able to shift form hadn’t impacted her work or home life too greatly. If anything, she had learned that she was just as capable with or without her wolf… easier to hurt but that was because she hadn’t learned to duck enough yet.

She missed it though.

The feel of the ground as her claws dug into its richness. The rich tapestries created by the smells and tastes carried on the air.

She missed it all.

Everything she had been able to do and everything she should have been able to share with their children.

“Shit,” sighing brokenly, she swiped her hand over her face and straightened up as the door opened behind her.

“I can hear you getting lost in your stubborn Alpha head from the kitchen.”

Tilting her head, Nicole nuzzled into the hand Waverly placed upon her shoulder. “Yeah. It’s a stupid place to get stuck too. Full of dark corners and dead ends I know aren’t there. Even if they were, all I have to do is look at you and our girls and all I see is light.” Threading her fingers through the lush thickness of Waverly’s hair, Nicole lost herself in her kiss as she leaned down. “I love you so much, Waverly Earp.”

“And I love you, Nicole Rayleigh Haught. Now, wanna come help fix some pizzas for later? Apparently, we need more ‘cause Cole and Madi are coming over and they need to be done _‘now’_ and Dom says that only the _‘bestest’_ pizza maker will do so you’re up,” she rolled her eyes playfully and air quoted in all the right places.

“Did you tie Wynonna up?”

“No, but I told her if she touched anything I would cut her hands off and force her to do yoga.”

“Like that would stop her,” Nicole rolled her eyes. “Best fix at least ten more just for her then. I’ll put them in a pile with my name on them.”

Chuckling, Waverly held out her hands and pulled Nicole from her seat and into the house where she was surrounded by love and couldn’t get lost in her thoughts.

**********

Pizza’s and fries had turned into a massive feast that was enough to satisfy the whole village, most of the pack when they had turned up to run with their Alpha. Even Wynonna’s appetite was sated by the time night had fallen and the moon was shining brightly above the trees.

The heat from the bonfire blazing away, created a line of heat down Nicole’s back while Waverly’s body pressed against her front warmed the rest of her body against the chill of the night while they watched the girls running around.

With their bellies full and hunger satiated, most of the pack had already allowed their bodies to answer the call of the moon and had slipped between the trees with excited yips and howls as they raced through the night. Only their closest extended family were left to change, the lure of playing with Kat and Dom when they shifted holding them back.

“I will never get over how amazing that is,” Michelle sighed quietly, a smile on her face as she watched her granddaughters change so they could chase Doc’s tail as he dangled it just out of reach for them. “That boy is going to regret that when—” she broke off, stifling a laugh as Doc let out a pained yowl as her prediction came true before she could even voice it fully.

“Thunderation! Waverly! What have you been feeding them? Their teeth are unusually sharp for ones so young!”

“Today? Pizza, fries and grown wolves old enough to know better than to tease!”

“In other words,” Wynonna teased, “meat as tough as a two-dollar steak.”

“I did not hear any complaints about the _toughness_ of my meat last night,” Doc drolled back lowly.

“Guys! Don’t be so gross in front of the kids! I’m getting war flashbacks to trying to live with you at the Homestead!”

“Hey, if it bothered you, you should have said something,” Wynonna smirked.

“I did, Wynonna. Often! Most of the time you just ignored me and the rest of the time you took it as a challenge to be louder. Seriously surprised I didn’t end up with permanent damage to my hearing from listening to music so loud trying to drown you all out.”

“You should have got your _MMMBop_ groove on and listened to _Hanson_ instead of the _Spice Girls_ , babygirl.”

Nicole let their banter wash over her as she watched the kids and the moon above. In the distance, she could make out the howls through the trees and placed each member of the pack and where they were by sound alone but she couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be a time when she wouldn’t be able to tell one from the other?

She wasn’t sure of Waverly had made out her thoughts, or guessed why she was quiet, or maybe it was just happenstance, but a well-placed elbow to her ribs jostled her out of her melancholy musings. Adjusting her stance to avoid any further elbow mauling, Nicole returned to the happier side of what she had been doing as the others changed one by one and played gently with the kids.

Finally, Waverly turned in her embrace and looped her arms over her shoulders. Her blunt nails scratched at the nape of her neck, sending a shiver coursing down Nicole’s spine. They both knew that Waverly didn’t need the help shifting, she hadn’t for a long time. But it was their routine and _that_ they both needed.

Looking into Waverly’s eyes, Nicole watched as the hazel spread and her body shifted and grew until she towered over her. The reflection of the moon in her eyes called to her and Nicole ached to respond. Ached to be able to.

She stepped back carefully, allowing room for Waverly to play and romp with the girls until Wynonna grew restless and called for her to run with them.

“I’ll be back soon—”

“No. You will take your time and get a full run in,” Nicole ordered, only softening her stance as Waverly ducked her head. “I mean it,” she ran her fingers through the sleek fur covering Waverly’s face and scratched gently in the thickness beneath her ears. “You cheated last time, and I appreciate that you did, but this time I need you to run properly. I won’t have you holding back or they might too.”

“Yes, my Alpha.” The dimples popping in Nicole’s cheeks either side of her brilliant smile sent Waverly’s tail wind milling in pleasure.

Nicole swept Dom and Kat into her arms before they could get it into their heads to try and sneak off to chase after Waverly as she followed the others into the trees. “Who wants ice cream?”

“Me!”

“Me, Mama!”

“Wit’ choc?”

“If you want, baby.”

“Sprinkles too?”

“Mhmm.”

“Both?”

“If that’s what you want Alexandria,” rolling her eyes, Nicole bumped her shoulder against hers in thanks for the distraction.

**********

As naturally quiet as the Yiska village was, it never truly became silent. Even when the people were in bed, the forest that surrounded them teamed with life even when they weren’t playing host to a pack of Werewolves enjoying a romp under the glow of the full moon.

Right then though, it was relatively quiet around them despite the howls fading in and out of the darkness. The girls were settled down, snoring quietly with full bellies, before the bonfire within a shelter that Anya and Raven had fixed up for them; an outdoor pillow fort with the actual stars and moon above instead of strings of fairy lights.

The fire was warm, pleasantly so, against her face. The crack and pop of the flames a soothing accompaniment to the hushed chatter still taking place as friends and lovers lingered to enjoy their time before retiring. Clarke and Alexandria sat beside her. They were close, their attention spread between the children and everyone around them and yet they were in their own little bubble of lingering touches of eyes and hands, and gentle smiles that said their thoughts were turning elsewhere.

Indra, who was their official guard for the night had looked slightly disapproving when they had started shuffling closer and acting like a couple and not just their leaders. Not that that was easy to make out as her resting face was always disapproving and slightly judgemental of everyone. But after not even half a minute she had looked around and seemed to realise that they were safe and her stance had relaxed and, Nicole was pretty sure she had seen a hint of a smile… a genuine one and not that feral one that looked like she was only happy because she was about to hurt someone. Anya had said it was more likely that Indra had been just grimacing or holding back a burp but Nicole chose to believe otherwise.

Before she could point out another of Indra’s suspected smiles to Anya, Nicole felt something, a familiar stirring of energy like a caress down her spine, that had her looking towards the trees expectantly. It was too early for them to have gone their full route round but she knew even before the leaves parted to reveal Waverly’s sleek frame and her smiling eyes that she was there.

The others soon followed in Waverly’s wake but Nicole only had eyes for her as she walked towards her with a tentative look in her eyes that was overshadowed by an excitement that built the closer she got.

“I thought you would be longer.” Nicole tried for a little sternness in her voice. Just a hint of a cop voice. But she was too happy to see Waverly to hold it for long and just ended up laughing as Waverly raced towards her the last couple of steps. With grace and a ridiculous amount of energy and enthusiasm, Waverly circled around her again and again in a whirl of motion and sleek fur and muscle that brushed against her body, buffeting her gently back and forth. Her cheek butted and slid against hers, a heady, enticing, swirl of fragrance stirred and between them at Waverly’s furiously determined scenting.

Nicole leaned into the heavier weight of Waverly’s body, letting her feel her contact reciprocated. In lieu of teeth to nip, she dug her fingers deep into Waverly’s fur at the scruff of her neck. She did it to try and control herself as well as the way Waverly was gently mouthing at her clothes and tugging them with her claws while looking at her like _that_. But all she managed was to have her own instincts flaring in a way that was primal, to say the least.

“Waves—” Again Nicole tried for stern but Waverly’s name leaving her tongue came out more breathy and pleading than growled and had Waverly shuddering against her and turning a heated gaze her way.

“Run with me?” Waverly begged against the shell of Nicole’s ear. “Please, my Alpha. You don’t need your wolf to run with me, but I need _you_.”

“Waves—” Nicole tried to step back to regain control but Waverly followed, flashing the kind of begging eyes that Disney only wished they could recreate in their animated movies. It was entirely unfair and Nicole knew Waverly had won. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Waverly bounced on her heels excitedly.

“Yes. Just let me go put something more suitable on my feet so I don’t trip myself up out there.”

Waverly glanced down to see what her usually sensibly attired Alpha was wearing and barked out a laugh when she found Nicole’s feet encased in a pair of the ridiculously fluffy, rainbow unicorn slippers Wynonna had brought everyone she knew for Christmas.

“Hey, they’re surprisingly comfortable,” Nicole chuckled. “Raven thinks they’re made of actual unicorn hair,” she smirked as Waverly’s head tilted and her ears twitched adorably in confusion. “Apparently an ‘experiment’ got ‘out of hand’… Anya gave this look when Raven said that…” she gave her best approximation of the look Anya usually wore when Raven was talking about dangerous things. Which was somewhere between fondness, terrified and constipated. “Raven said the only thing that wasn’t singed were the slippers she was wearing so of course, that means they must be made from magical unicorn hair.”

“Of course,” Waverly giggled. “Hey, _are_ there such things as unicorns?”

“Hmm, I forgot to ask that. Too traumatised by the thought that Raven is still on our list of approved baby sitters. Not going to rule them out though. Wasn’t all that long ago I didn’t think that angels were real and look how that turned out,” she smiled lovingly into Waverly’s eyes. “I’ve got one as my mate and the mother of my children.”

“Only part angel,” Waverly blushed under the intensity of the unadulterated love in Nicole’s gaze.

“Waverly, if there is one thing you’ve taught me, it’s that who our fathers are, it makes no difference… you have _always_ been my angel.” Nicole gently nudged her nose into the softness of Waverly’s fur and kissed her cheek. “Looks like the kids are stirring,” she nodded towards the eager faces peering at them around the pillows and blankets they’d bedded down with in front of the bonfire. “Go play with them for a bit and I’ll be right back with non-unicorn footwear.”

“Don’t be too long!” Waverly called after her. “I missed you!”

“Missed you too, baby. Hey, where are we going anyway?”

“Where ever the moon leads us!”

When it was shining as brightly as it was from Waverly’s eyes right at that moment, Nicole knew she would follow her anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muses, as always, decided to take a swerve on me for the end of this story. It was going to wrap up with a mini-battle with some angels but unless it swerves again that is off the cards now. It was just too close to the fight against Bunny and would have tainted what will hopefully take place in the next chapter. Also... how in the hell (no pun intended) do you take on celestial beings anyway???
> 
> That will leave by the end of this story the unanswered question as to what/who dragged Ward from the Homestead?  
> Will the angels be an issue?  
> Are there such things as mermaid poltergeists?  
> How about unicorns?  
> Is Bernie a guardian or something else or was that CJ's doing?
> 
> Anyway, I really need to get in the mood for the next chapter and right now I'm anything but 'cause of a migraine that knocked me on my butt -_-
> 
> As a PS I just found out that chapter 39 starts on page 666 on my Word document o.O


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